Dr. Gargi Roysircar-Sodowsky has been named recipient of the American Psychological Association (APA) 2019 International Humanitarian Award for her mental health and service work with underserved populations impacted by disasters. This award is being presented in recognition of Dr. Roysicar-Sodowsky’s “sustained and enduring humanitarian services to underserved populations.”
While at Antioch, Dr. Roysircar-Sodowsky had a long career of service and research. She was the founding Director of the Antioch Multicultural Center for Research and Practice; a research organization dedicated to promoting social justice and service for marginalized and minority communities. Her research has centered around underserved populations in India, the United States, South Africa, and Haiti, with a focus on providing disaster counseling teams with multicultural skills and sensitivity training to provide better care for the people impacted by natural disasters. She is well-published in the field of clinical psychology; she was the editor of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development for 7 years and has written over 100 journal articles and book chapters on her research.
Dr. Roysircar-Sodowsky worked with Antioch graduate students in the classroom and in communities to develop local outreach services for immigrants in New Hampshire communities. With her instruction, students were trained in mental health counseling and methods of community organization development. The focus was on providing multicultural services that would better meet the needs of local people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Dr. Roysircar retired from her position as a full-time faculty member and head of the Multicultural Center and now still works with our Department in an Adjunct capacity.
Dr. Roysircar-Sodowsky is giving the keynote address of the 2019 National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) in Denver, CO this month. She will travel to the APA Convention in Chicago in August to receive the award. and will give an invited award address, entitled: Globalization’s Impact on the Psychologist’s Self-definition, Purpose, Role, and Function. She has been invited by the American Psychologist to write an article on her disaster trauma practice and research with Haitian children and their mothers.
