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The Nevada Psychological Association in collaboration with
The District of Columbia Psychological Association and 11 other State Psychological Associations
presents
Antiracism in Action:
Clinical Skills for Ethical Mental Health Practice
Presented by Jessica Smedley, Ph.D.
Friday, March 6th, 2026 10:00am - 1:15pm PST
3 Cultural Competency CE Credits
This workshop will be presented as a live, virtual presentation via Zoom webinar.
Participants will be able to communicate with the presenter in real-time during the course of instruction. As participants can interact in real-time with the presenter, this webinar meets the requirements as a live or face-to-face CE training by the State of Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners (not considered homestudy learning credits).
 Approved for Nevada Psychologists, LCSWs and MFTs.
NPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. NPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
** Online Registration will be available in mid-January 2026 **
About the Workshop:
Antiracism is not an add-on to clinical care—it is a core ethical responsibility. This workshop invites mental health professionals to critically examine how racism and systemic inequities affect diagnosis, treatment access, and client outcomes. Using an antiracist and trauma-informed framework, participants will gain tools to reduce harm, strengthen the therapeutic alliance, and provide more equitable, culturally responsive mental health care. Further, clinicians will learn practical strategies to identify bias, address racial dynamics in the therapy room, and integrate antiracist principles across assessment, diagnosis, and intervention.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Identify ways racism operates as a chronic stressor and traumatic exposure affecting mental health outcomes across the lifespan.
2. Apply antiracist principles to clinical decision-making, including intake, diagnosis, goal-setting, and termination.
3. Identify signs of racialized stress responses that may be misdiagnosed as pathology. Identify signs of racialized stress responses that may be misdiagnosed as pathology.
Audience:
This presentation is intended for psychologists, other licensed mental health providers, and graduate students of psychology. Level of learning is Intermediate.
About the Speaker:
 Jessica Smedley, Psy.D. is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a long history of providing direct care and psychological evaluations to adults, children and families across several geographic locations. Dr. Smedley completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UC Riverside, and her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis from University of San Francisco. Dr. Smedley completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, where she also completed two additional Masters' Degrees in Christian Leadership and Clinical Psychology, respectively. Her dissertation work was focused in the areas of trauma and spirituality in urban communities. Dr. Smedley continues to be present in academic settings and currently holds adjunct faculty appointments at The George Washington University and Howard University.
Dr. Smedley completed a significant portion of her clinical training in community mental health settings (i.e., residential, outpatient, community-based) as well as private practice settings, providing direct care and completing psychological evaluations for adults and children who have experienced complex trauma, chronic and severe mental illness, co-morbid diagnoses, learning disabilities, and several family and environmental systemic issues and disparities. Dr. Smedley has also facilitated several workshops and trainings for a number of agencies about mental health education and wellness, mental health stigma, racial trauma, and general self-care and wellness. She has also provided expert insights for the media to include NBC4 Washington, BNC News, Essence Magazine, AARP Sisters Column, Associated Press, and various local radio stations.
Dr. Smedley believes in giving back to the profession and generations to come by volunteering in several leadership roles in her career span thus far. She served as the Ohio Psychological Association Diversity Committee Chair in 2017 and has since engaged in many leadership and advocacy training opportunities within the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Smedley is a Past-Diversity Liaison/Diversity Subcommittee Chair for the 2020 APA Practice Leadership Conference. She has served a three-year term on the APA Membership Board and was recently appointed to the APA Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC); this committee has a unique role of recommending advocacy priorities to the association. In January of 2023, APA President, Dr. Thema Bryant, appointed Dr. Smedley as the Chair-Elect of the APA ACC, and she will transition to the role of Chair in 2024. She is also active with the DC Psychological Association (DCPA) and started and co-led the COVID-19 Task Force in 2020 to provide advocacy and services to members and the community during the initial stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Further, Dr. Smedley was elected by DCPA to serve as the 2023 President-Elect and APA Council Representative (2021-23). She also helped to co-launch an initiative with fellow licensed healers of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) with the long-term goal of the association providing support to members of the community impacted by health disparities.
As a clinician, Dr. Smedley highly values the importance of growth, cultural awareness, positive racial identity, and incorporating one's unique individual background into treatment. She has found that a strength-based approach has greater, long-term impact, encouraging individuals/families/professionals to hone their strengths and thrive based on a positive belief system.
Registration Fees:
NPA members: $75.00 (Early bird discount is $60.00 until 2/9/26)
Non-members: $105.00 (Early bird discount is $85.00 until 2/9/26)
Student members: $30.00 (Registration fees waived for active student members with code)
Student non-members: $60.00
References:
DeAngelis, T., & Andoh, E. (2022, March 1). Confronting past wrongs and building an equitable future. Monitor on Psychology, 53(2). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03/special-report-wrongs-future Bird, K. A., Jackson,
J. P., Jr., & Winston, A. S. (2024). Confronting scientific racism in psychology: Lessons from evolutionary biology and genetics. American Psychologist, 79(4), 497–508. Sue, D. W.,
Neville, H. A., & Smith, L. (2024). Racism in counseling and psychotherapy: Illuminate and disarm. American Psychologist, 79(4), 593–605. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001231
Mullan, J. (2023). Decolonizing therapy: oppression, historical trauma, and politicizing your practice. W. W. Norton. Bryant-Davis, T., & Arrington, E. (2022). The antiracism handbook: practical tools to shift your mindset and uproot racism in your life and community. New Harbinger Publications.
General Information:
Zoom Login Link and Handout Materials: Zoom webinar login link and Handout materials will be sent out electronically to all attendees no later than one week prior to workshop date. Printed handout materials are not available for purchase as this CE training is being offered remotely.
Workshop Location: Live, virtual webinar via Zoom.
Closed Captions: Live audio captions will be provided for this event. If you need additional disability-related accommodations, please contact us by email us at [email protected] or by phone (888) 654-0050. Requests should be made at least two weeks in advance of workshop date.
Refunds & Grievance Policy: Participants may direct questions or grievances to NPA at (888) 654-0050. An administrative fee of $30 will be charged for cancellation of registration. Please note, no refunds will be granted less than 10 days prior to workshop date 02/20/2026.
Approval: Approved by Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners. Nevada Psychological Association (NPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. NPA maintains responsibility for the program and its content. NPA will issue certificates of completion. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those logging into the Zoom webinar more than 15 minutes late or logging off before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits (i.e. partial CE credit will not be issued).
There is no potential conflict of interest and/or commercial support for this program or its presenter.
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