Home › Academics › College of Liberal Arts › Faculty › Karen Suyemoto

Faculty & Staff

Areas of Expertise

Clinical Psychology; Asian American Studies; Mental Health and Identity in Asian Americans; Multiracial Issues; Identity Development Diversity

Degrees

PhD, University of Massachusetts

Professional Publications & Contributions

• Suyemoto, K.L. & Liem, J.H. with Jennifer C. Kuhn, Elizabeth A. Mongillo, and Jesse J. Tauriac (2007). Training Therapists to Be Culturally Sensitive with Asian American Women Clients. Women and Therapy.
• Suyemoto, K. L. & Fox Tree, C. A. (2006). Building Bridges Across Differences to Meet Social Action Goals: Being and Creating Allies Among People of Color. American Journal of Community Psychology, 37, 237-246.
• AhnAllen, J., Suyemoto, K. L. & Carter, A. (2006). Relationship Between Physical Appearance, Sense of Belonging, Feelings of Exclusion, and Racial/Ethnic Self-Identification Among Multiracial Japanese-European Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 12, 373-386.
• Mirkin, M., Suyemoto, K. L. & Okun, B. (Eds.). (2005). Psychotherapy with Women: Exploring Diverse Contexts and Identities. Guilford Press.
• Suyemoto, K. L., & Dimas, J. M. (2003). To be included in the multicultural discussion: Check one box only. In J. S. Mio & G. Y. Iwamasa (Eds.), Culturally diverse mental health: The challenges of research and resistance (pp. 55-81). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
• Suyemoto, K. L. (2002). Redefining "Asian American" identity: Reflections on differentiating ethnic and racial identities for Asian American individuals and communities. In L. Zhan (Ed.) Asian Americans: Vulnerable populations, model interventions, and clarifying agendas (195-231). Boston:Jones and Bartlett.

Additional Information

Dr. Suyemoto has a joint appointment with Psychology and Asian American Studies. Her research interests focus generally on Asian American psychology and issues related to social justice and anti-racist therapy practice/education. She has particular interests in how individuals and groups/communities create meanings of race, ethnicity, and identities and how these meanings are used by individuals and groups to understand themselves and others. Her current research projects explore how interventions of education and community programs may affect racial and ethnic identities and empowerment in Asian American youth and college students.

TEACHING

Undergraduate: Asian American Psychology; Introduction to Asian American Studies; Multiracial Experiences; Race, Culture, and Relationships (Honors); Psychology of Women.
Graduate: Culture and Mental Health; Social Construction of Self and Identities; Qualitative Methods