Rheeda Walker
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Rheeda Walker
Rheeda Walker, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist whose program of research emphasizes two understudied areas—suicide science and African American adult mental health. Communities throughout the United States are chronically underserved, in part due to social and cultural barriers. This is perhaps especially true of mental health initiatives. All of Walker’s scholarly work has focused on suicide with emphasis on both risks and culturally-informed sources of resilience. The overarching goal is to developing accessible models of intervention that can be implemented by both practitioners and culturally-relevant models of mental health and well-being.
Research interest(s)/area of expertise
Clinical psychology, African American adults, suicide risk and resilience, cultural identity, race-related stress and discrimination, second-generation young adults
Education
Ph.D., Psychology (Clinical), Florida State University, 2002Education
M.S., Psychology (Clinical), Florida State University, 2000
A.B., Psychology, University of Georgia, 1994
Pre-doctoral internship, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center-Atlanta Healthcare
Licensed Psychologist, Texas
Awards and grants
Fellow, American Psychological Association, Division 45
Dalmas A Taylor Distinguished Contributions Award, Minority Fellowship Program, American Psychological Association
Teaching Excellence Award, University of Houston
News mentions
Selected publications
Books
Walker, R. (2024). No racial elephants in the therapy room: An unapologetic approach to providing culturally affirming mental health care to Black and African American clients. PESI Publishing.
Walker, R. (2023) The unapologetic workbook for Black mental health: Reclaim your mind to reclaim a life worth living. New Harbinger Publications.
Walker, R. (2020). The unapologetic guide to Black mental health. New Harbinger Publications.
Select Peer-reviewed publications
Note *indicates advisee or student author
Walker, R.L., *Jewell, R.D., *Odafe, M.O., *Hong, J.H., & *Gonzalez, I.M. (2024). Burdensomeness, acculturative stress, and suicide ideation among second-generation Asian American and Latinx university students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
*Brooks Stephens, J. R., *Lebeaut, A., *Jewell, R. D., *Zegel, M., Walker, R. L., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2023). Living in the present moment: The role of mindfulness in the association between impulsivity and suicidality among Black emerging adults. Mindfulness. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671- 023-02180-x
*Mayorga, N. A., *Brooks, J. R., Walker, R. L., Garey, L., Cardoso, J. B., Garza, M., ... & Zvolensky, M. J. (2022). Evaluating the role of anxiety sensitivity on behavioral health outcomes among Latinx persons. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 46(1), 31-42.
*McGrew, S.J., Raines, A.M., Walker, R.L., *Leonard, S.J., & Vujanovic, A.A. (2022) Posttraumatic stress, alcohol use, and alcohol use motives among Non-Hispanic Black/African American college students: The role of emotion regulation, Journal of Dual Diagnosis, DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2022.2160037
*Brooks, J.R., *Hong, J.H., *Madubata, I.J., *Odafe, M.O., *Cheref, S., & Walker, R.L. (2021). The moderating effect of dispositional forgiveness on perceived racial discrimination and depressive symptoms for African American adults. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 27(3), 511.
*Leavitt, J., *Hong, J.H., *Almaguer, C.D., & Walker, R.L. (2021). Paradoxical positivity: Less distressed language in suicide notes than in blogs about depression and suicidal thoughts. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 51(5), 1005-1014
*Madubata, I.J., *Cheref, S., *Eades, N., *Brooks, J., *Talavera, D.C., & Walker, R.L. (2020). Non-suicidal self- injury, neuroticism, and ethnic identity in young Latina adults. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 42(4), 528- 546.
*Brooks, J. R., *Hong, J. H., *Cheref, S., & Walker, R. L. (2020). Capability for suicide: Discrimination as a painful and provocative event. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior, 50(6), 1173-1180.
Salami, T.K., Carter, S.E., Cordova, B., Flowers, K.C., & Walker, R.L. (2019). The influence of race-related stress on eating pathology: The mediating role of depression and moderating role of cultural worldview among Black American women. Journal of Black Psychology, 45(6), 571-598.
*Cheref, S., *Talavera, D.C., & Walker, R.L. (2019). Perceived discrimination and suicide ideation: Moderating role of anxiety among Asian American, African American, and Hispanic emerging adults. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 49(3), 665-677.
Walker, R. L., *Talavera, D. C., *Nomamiukor, F., *Madubata, I. J., Alfano, C., & Vujanovic, A. A. (2019). Sleep- related problems and suicide behavior and ideation among Black and White trauma-exposed psychiatric inpatients. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 91, 22-28.
*Hong, J., *Talavera, D, Barr, C., & Walker, R.L. (2018). Does purpose in life or ethnic identity moderate the association for racial discrimination and suicide ideation in racial/ethnic minority emerging adults? Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. doi:10.1037/cdp0000245
*Madubata, I.J., *Odafe, M.O., *Talavera, D.C., & Walker, R.L. (2018). Helplessness mediates the association for racial discrimination and depression for African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology, 7, 626-643.
Other qualifications directly relevant to courses taught
Associate Editor, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
Editorial Board, Journal of Black Psychology