Beverly Greene

Beverly Greene (born 1950) is a professor in the Department of Psychology at St. John's University. She is a clinical psychologist known for her work on sexism, racism, and analyzing the intersectionality of social identities. As a specialist in the psychology of women and of gender and racial issues in the practice of psychotherapy, Greene has also created many public health frameworks for understanding mental health in marginalized communities. Beverly Greene attributes her parents for instilling in her a critical awareness of racism.

Adulthood Greene earned her undergraduate degree at New York University in 1973. Her mentor, Dorothy Gartner, encouraged Greene to teach courses to other interns. Greene's work focuses mainly on the therapeutic approach, and often the intersection of sexism and racism.

Sexism Greene analyzes the interaction between sexism and the history of racism to acknowledge the effects on women of color. She notes that women's experiences of oppression are not inherently hierarchical, but rather may differ phenomenologically. Greene believes that women live their lives shaped by gender-based social inequalities causing psychological conflicts and demoralization from the unequal social position. She argues that the convergence of gender, race, and sexual orientation shapes the social inequality women of color endure day-to-day.

Greene suggests clinicians working with people of color, specifically African-American women, should take precautions to not prematurely dismiss complaints about racist and sexist discrimination. Such responses can minimize the client's distress and cause further issues.

Greene's work focuses mainly on the therapeutic assessment period during which the therapist begins to understand the individual's experience with racism and relationship to their own race. In Greene's article, "African American Lesbian and Bisexual Women", Greene gives four specific methods to enhance this process. First, to unpack the individual's relationship with the dominant culture. Second, to unpack the individual's relationship with their own culture. Third, to understand the individual's relationships on both an individual and institutional level. Lastly, Greene cites the importance of understanding how the individual perceives their own identity.

Beverly Greene; John C Norcross; Gerald P Koocher co-editors, Psychologists Desk Reference, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2013.

A Minyan of Women: Family Dynamics, Jewish Identity and Psychotherapy Practice This book unpacks the complexities of the Jewish identity, and the tools that therapists can use to better support their Jewish clients. The book focuses largely on the importance of family and personal identity. Similar to Greene's other work, the book attempts to construct models for better understanding the individual, rather than the collective group.

Greene, Beverly, and Dorith Brodbar. A Minyan of Women: Family Dynamics, Jewish Identity and Psychotherapy Practice. London: Routledge, 2011.

Lesbian and Gay Psychology: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications Lesbian and Gay psychology explores a variety of studies including parenthood as a gay/lesbian person, the development of sexuality and gay/lesbian relationships, and self-esteem relating to sexuality. The book is meant to serve as an aid for social service practitioners as it serves as a lens for understanding gay men and lesbian women holistically during the therapeutic process.

Greene, Beverly, and Gregory M. Herek, co-eds. Lesbian and Gay Psychology: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications. Newbury Park (CA): Sage, 1994.

Other publications

Greene, B. (1985). Considerations in the treatment of Black patients by white therapists. Psychotherapy,22,389-393. Greene, B. (1993). Human diversity in clinical psychology: Lesbian and gay sexual orientations. The Clinical Psychologist: Publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association,46,2,74-82. Greene, B. (2005, Dec.). Psychology, Cultural Diversity & Social Justice: Beyond heterosexism and across the cultural divide. Invited paper. Journal of Counseling Psychology Quarterly,18,4,295-306. Greene, B. (2011). From Slave to Midwife: Healing in the Midst of Social Injustice. In L. Comas-Diaz & Weiner, M. B. (Eds.), Women Psychotherapists: Journeys in Healing(pp. 57–72). New York: Jason Aronson.

Honors

In 1995 and 2010, Greene was awarded the Women of Color Psychologies Publication Award from the Association for Women in Psychology. In 2008, she won the Distinguished Publication Award (DPA) from the Association for Women in Psychology in 2008. The American Psychological Association awarded Greene with the Outstanding Achievement Award-Committee on Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Concerns Award in 1995. In 2000, Greene was awarded the Heritage Award from the American Psychological Association. The National Multicultural Conference and Summit awarded Greene the Dalmas Taylor Award in 2007. In 2011 and 2013, Greene received the American Psychological Association Presidential Citation Award. Received the American Psychology Association (APA) 2023 Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology.