Dericka Canada is a Diversity Fellow and a first-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Boston College. She earned both her MEd in Counseling Psychology as a University Fellow, and her BA in Psychology, with a concentration in Social Sciences, with honors from the University of Louisville located in Louisville, KY. She is a graduate student affiliate of the American Psychological Association, Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) and Division 45 (Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues).

Dericka joined the ISPRC team in the fall of 2011. She conducts research, develops trainings for Boston College Mental Health master’s students who serve as advocates at Jeremiah Burke High School, is a member of the department’s Diversity Committee, as well as assisting with the annual Diversity Challenge. Her past research projects have included examining social anxiety among African American college students, academic resiliency among African American elementary students, and the experience of microaggressions among cross-racial dyads.

Her current research interests involve examining the effects of racial and ethnic identity and socialization on the psychological and psychosocial well-being of Black and African American individuals, families, and communities. Her research interests also include exploring the intersectionality of gender, racial, and ethnic issues surrounding Black and African American women.

Dericka’s clinical experiences have included individual and group counseling within a private school, child and family therapy with a majority racial minority and low SES population within a community mental health center, as well as psychological assessment at a state mental hospital.

In her spare time, Dericka enjoys connecting with individuals from her faith community, cooking, traveling to spend time with her family and friends, giving time to her creative crafty side, listening to music, and exploring Boston.