(Un)Safe Speech: Applying the 2026 APA Resolution on Antisemitism in Clinical Practice (Live Webinar)

Presented by: Jordan Dunn, PhD, Judith Gulko, PhD, Almas Merchant, PhD and Tiffany O’Shaughnessy, PhD

Psychologists have an ethical imperative to protect human rights, challenge systemic injustices and promote human welfare, which includes advocating and practicing effectively to eradicate antisemitism (American Psychological Association [APA] 2021a, 2021b). Given the experiences of historical trauma, and intergenerational transmission of trauma (Bowers & Yehuda, 2016) within the Jewish community, experiences of antisemitism, that is, hostility, prejudice, discrimination, harassment, hatred, or violence directed toward Jews as Jews, can have unique and synergistic impacts on mental health. Antisemitism and white supremacy are interlocking ideologies that must be addressed jointly, and it is important that antisemitism not be addressed in ways that undermine social justice for any other group, or that further draw on systemic racism that disproportionately criminalizes people of color (Hersh & Royden, 2022; APA, 2021a). In February 2026, the APA Council of Representatives passed a new resolution on Antisemitism that provides updated guidance for psychologists in navigating how to stand up against antisemitism while simultaneously safeguarding free speech and freedom of expression. This CE session will explore ways that psychologists can put the guidance from this updated policy into practice.

After attending this webinar, attendees will be able to:

*Define antisemitism including historical and modern conceptualizations and its harmful effects.

*Discuss psychologist positionality and how this influences addressing antisemitism in clinical practice.

*Describe countertransference in regard to working with antisemitism.

About the Presenters:

Jordan Dunn, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist based in New York City. He works as a supervising psychologist and organizer for community action and reflection at the Greene Clinic, a community psychoanalytic training clinic. He also serves as a council representative at the American Psychological Association representing APA Division 39 the Society of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology. Trained at the New School for Social Research, he has received multiple fellowships, and publishes on psychotherapy and culture. He organizes locally with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and is part of Jewish Psychologists for Justice, a grassroots organizing group fighting for collective liberation.

Judith Gulko, PhD is a licensed psychologist primarily in private practice in Coral Springs, Florida, who has practiced psychotherapy for over 35 years, including in eating disorder and addiction centers. She has extensive training and experience treating individuals with eating disorders, addictions and significant trauma histories, as well as supervising trainees. After a school mass shooting in the local community, she has treated many survivors, and gained knowledge and experience in disaster community mental health while also being a member of the community impacted. She is a member of Climate Psychology Alliance of North America, and from a polycrisis-aware perspective, highlights thinking and action around the connections between micro and macro systems, justice and sustainability. She is also a member of APA Division 48, and is on the organizing committee of Jewish Psychologists for Justice (JPJ).

Almas (Ally) Merchant, PhD is a psychoanalytic candidate at NYU Postdoc who works with children, adolescents, adults, families, and intimate partners at Stress and Trauma Evaluation and Psychological Services. Ally strives to help patients engender curiosity within themselves about their mind and their unconscious motivations. Ally’s clinical thinking is influenced not only by psychoanalysis but also by interdisciplinary critical theory and the impact of culture and history on her patients’ psychological development. Ally also provides supervision and mentorship to newer clinicians as well as consultation and education around equity, diversity, and inclusion to organizations. She currently serves as Council Representative to the American Psychological Association for Division 39, Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology and as co-editor of Studies in Gender and Sexuality. Finally, she is a co-host for Couched, a podcast for learning from and listening to conversations between psychoanalysts, artists, and change makers.

Tiffany O’Shaughnessy, PhD is a Professor of Counseling and Coordinator of the MFT Specialization at San Francisco State University and a Licensed Psychologist in private practice. She earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology and masters in Human Services from Lehigh University. Her scholarship and professional advocacy are rooted in community-engaged, anti-racist, queer-affirming, and trans-inclusive feminist practice and she aims to support the development of a mental health field that centers cultural humility and intentionality, and eradicating oppression in all its forms. She is active in service to the Association for Women in Psychology and APA’s Division 17 and 35 and serves on the APA Council of Representatives. She is also the co-coordinator of the Northern California MFT Educators Consortium and she is a co-editor of two forthcoming books from APA Publications Cultural Intentionality and Critical Action in Clinical Supervision and Bridging Generational Gaps in Clinical Supervision.