Kafui shares how she was originally from Ghana. She is the Chair of the Black Section of Psychology with the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). She voices the importance of collecting race-based data to hold organizations accountable as there is a need to hear Black, Indigenous, and Racialized individuals’ experiences of oppression. She shared that psychology is rooted in racism; she and colleagues formed the Black, Indigenous and Racialized People Psychology Web. She shares the importance of building community through transformation.
Ms. Sawyer is a Psychotherapist and a Trauma Consultant for Health Canada. She is the Clinical Director for Joy Health and Research Centre, a mental health clinic in Ottawa, where she conducts psychotherapy and trains junior therapists. She is also the Founding Chair of the Black Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association. She helps children, youth and families who have experienced traumatic experiences and assists government employees who have suffered due to experiences (such as racism) in their workplace and everyday life. Ms. Sawyer is a Clinical Supervisor for Psychotherapists and Students in Clinical Training. For over ten years, she has worked effectively with Indigenous People and provided mental health services and clinical support to Indigenous people across Canada and in the Artic Regions. She is also a specialist in treating clients who struggle with personality disorders and is a clinical trainer in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Ms. Sawyer is a committee member for the Inquiries, Complaints, Reports and Complaints Committee of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Ms. Sawyer is a co-author of the recently published article, Lions at the Gate: How Weaponization Policy Prevents People of Colour from Becoming Professional Psychologists in Canada.
