The time has come: discussing the clinical neuropsychology provider's role in cultural respect and inclusion.

Abstract

There has been both a national and global emphasis within the past 3 years to promote diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and cultural respect in healthcare and academia. One discipline and healthcare arena where this has been evident is the psychology field. Indeed, there has been rampant and widespread adoption and advancement of DEI and cultural respect across most of psychology. Unfortunately, not all psychology specialties have fully embraced DEI or focused on provider factors, one of which is clinical neuropsychology. Regarding DEI efforts and emphasis in clinical neuropsychology, the majority of research and education has primarily focused on patient demographic and neuropsychological test factors. While such patient demographic and test factors are important and merit significant attention, so too does the focus on the clinical neuropsychological provider. Unfortunately, the clinical neuropsychology specialty has provided little to no focus on the provider's role in DEI and cultural respect. The purpose of this critical review is to focus on the role of the clinical neuropsychologist and how it impacts DEI and cultural respect. Specifically, the review will inform the factors that impact the practice of clinical neuropsychology on the part of the provider including unconscious/implicit bias, diagnostic threat, and microaggressions. Also, the review will inform strategies to create a DEI responsive and culturally respectful clinical neuropsychological practice with the overarching goal to uncover the clinical neuropsychological role to advance and evolve the specialty through a DEI and culturally respectful lens. With considerable work completed in other aspects of DEI and cultural respect, the clinical neuropsychology specialty is well poised to now focus on the role of the provider. This focus can provide a constructive path forward to create new knowledge to advance the role of the provider to optimize overall clinical, research, and training practices.