Education
Ph.D. & M.A. in Counseling Psychology,
Virginia Commonwealth University
B.A. in Psychology,
State University of
New York at StonyBrook
Leonie Brooks
Professor, Counseling Psychology
Areas of Expertise
Multicultural Counseling
Internship
Counselor Supervision
Race, Culture and Mental Health
Immigration and Acculturation
Diversity and Social Justice
Biography
Dr. Brooks earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a proud native of the Caribbean island of Jamaica and has served as Acting Director and the Coordinator of Clinical Training for the Counseling Psychology Graduate Programs at Towson University. As a full-time faculty member, she teaches a variety of applied counseling courses in the graduate program, and is currently conducting research on factors that affect the adjustment of Black Caribbean immigrants in the United States, examining best practices in pedagogy and teaching multicultural counseling competencies to health and mental health professionals, and using social justice strategies to reduce health disparities amongst ethnic and racial minorities.
She has presented in her areas of expertise in various venues including hosting health, mental health and cultural competence in health care delivery discussions on WEAA public radio in Baltimore, and at regional, national and international conferences on immigration, health care, culture, education, and public policy at the Barbados International Conference on Higher Education, the American Psychological Association, the Institute for the Promotion and Study of Race and Culture Diversity Challenge, and the Oxford University Round Table conference on Global Security in the Twenty-first Century in the United Kingdom. She has a forthcoming publication Not an Easy Road: Journey of Jamaican Academic in the book Experiences of Immigrant Professors: Challenges, Cross-Cultural Differences and Lessons for Success (2015). Recent publications include a chapter in the book Positive Psychology entitled The Black Survivors: Courage, Strength, Creativity and Resilience in the Cultural Traditions of Black Caribbean Immigrants (2013), and a 2011 co-authored article in the Journal of Pan African Studies entitled “Getting’ on my last nerve”: The mental health, physiological and cognitive effects of racism in people of African descent.
Research Interests
Adjustment & acculturation amongst Black immigrants, Resilience during life transitions, Intersections of health, culture, identity and spirituality and Cultural competence in mental health training and treatment
Clinical Interests
Family and Couples Counseling, Counseling with Immigrant populations, Women's Issues, Counseling marginalized populations.
Selected Publications
Brooks, L.J. (2013). The Black Survivors: the courage, strength, creativity and resilience in the cultural traditions of Black Caribbean immigrants. In Jan D. Sinnott (ed.) Positive Psychology, Advances in Understanding Adult Motivation. (pp. 121-134) New York: Springer.
Mattanah, J.F., Brooks, L.J., Brand, B., Quimby, J.L., Ayers, J. & McNary, S. (2012). A social support intervention and academic achievement in college: Does perceived loneliness mediate the relationship? Journal of College Counseling, 15, 22-36.
Wheeler, E., Brooks, L.J. & Brown, J. (2011). “Gettin’ on my last nerve”: The mental health, physiological and cognitive effects of racism in people of African descent. Journal of Pan African Studies, 4, (5), 81-101. PDF.
Brooks, L.J., Haskins, D., Kehe, J. (2004). Psychotherapy with African-Americans. In T. Smith & P. S. Richards, Practicing Multiculturalism: Internalizing and Affirming Diversity in Counseling and Psychology (pp.145-166). Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.