Janet E. Helms, PhD, is awarded a Presidential Citation for forging a path for our scientific understanding of racial identity development.
Helms is an esteemed social scientist, professor, and psychologist who has made invaluable contributions to psychology and society. Her most notable achievement lies in being a trailblazer and forging the path for our scientific understanding of racial identity development. At Boston College, Helms held the prestigious position of Augustus Long Professor Emeritus and played a critical role as the founding director of The Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture. Her groundbreaking contributions have encompassed a wide range of scientific areas, including racial identity theories, racially conscious practice, womanist identity, and the examination of racial biases in cognitive ability tests and measurement. As prominently featured in a 2023 issue of the American Psychologist, focusing on the foundational contributions of Black scholars in psychology, Helms’s work stands as revolutionary and far-reaching.
In a 2020 article published by the APA, Helms emphasized the importance of embracing discomfort, stating, "I would encourage people to stay with the discomfort because if you're uncomfortable about race, there is likely to be growth there.”
She has written several books, including the groundbreaking volume “A Race is a Nice Thing to Have: A Guide to Being a White Person or Understanding the White Persons in Your Life.” In addition, she authored “Using Race and Culture in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory and Process”, and “A Training Manual to accompany Black and White Racial Identity.” Her deep expertise in race, racism, and multicultural issues has driven her to author and coauthor over 100 publications, garnering over 30,000 citations and counting.
Helms has actively contributed to various editorial boards, holding positions in eminent journals such as the Journal of Psychological Assessment, the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and the American Psychologist. She has also held significant roles as president and fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17), served as a fellow of The Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (APA Division 45), and Psychology of Women (APA Division 35).
Some of her outstanding accolades in the field include being awarded the 2019 American Psychological Foundation’s Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Psychology in the public interest; the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from APA's Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race; the 2017-2018 Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award from the Society of Counseling Psychology; and the 2006 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology from the American Psychological Association.
It is a great delight to bestow this Presidential Citation upon Dr. Helms as a tribute to her enduring scientific contributions to the field of psychology.