Why did you join the division?
As a first-year master's student in community psychology, I was inspired by my mentor, Brent Dean Robbins, PhD, who was then serving as president of the Society for Humanistic Psychology. His nomination for me to serve as a student representative on the executive board was a thrilling opportunity. Attending my first APA convention that year, I was captivated by the lively debates in board meetings and the chance to meet esteemed psychologists like Lisa Cosgrove, PhD, who later became my doctoral advisor. My growing interest in Critical Psychology during my doctorate led me to serve as APA Convention chair for the Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, and eventually, as Secretary and Member-at-Large for the division.
How did you become a division volunteer or leader?
This year, I was elected president-elect of the Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. This role is particularly meaningful as I follow my mentor, Robbins, the current president-elect. It feels like a full-circle moment in my professional journey.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I currently work in three distinct roles: as a relational-psychodynamic and humanistic-existential psychotherapist in private practice, as a professor affiliated with the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics at Boston College, and as a writer and editor for the social-justice-oriented mental health webzine Mad in America. I feel fortunate to have a combination of depth-oriented and meaningful clinical work, academic teaching with an incredible program, and advocacy work that seeks to reform current practices and provide a platform for service users and people with lived experience.
What are you most proud of?
One of my proudest accomplishments is my tenure as a research officer for Dainius Pūras, MD, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. In this role, I helped advance Global Mental Health towards a rights-based approach, valuing cultural diversity, indigenous knowledge, and the inclusion of people with psychosocial disabilities.
If you weren’t a psychologist, what would you be?
I'd be an investigative journalist and, in my wildest dreams, a literary fiction author.
If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
If I could time travel, I'd attempt to prevent the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Though its exact timeline and culprits are shrouded in mystery, preserving such a treasure trove of ancient knowledge would be worth the trial and error.
Contact: Justin Karter