Equity, Inclusion and Diversity
Kaiser Permanente has a strong commitment to diversity, and we believe in equity and inclusion for all.
Our organization strives to create an inclusive workplace for our employees, deliver quality health care that is culturally responsive to our members and patients, and address the total health of the communities we serve.
To optimize patient care and the appreciation of diversity at an organizational level, Kaiser Permanente has established the Institute of Culturally Competent Care as well as “Centers of Excellence,” which responds to specific health needs of certain populations.
Kaiser Permanente has been recognized for the sixth consecutive year (2023) in the Diversity Inc Top 50 Hall of Fame for our diversity and inclusion practices in hiring, retaining and promoting women, minorities, veterans, people with disabilities and people in the LGBTQ community. Additionally, EID Officers Drs Chinue A Brown and Mandeep Tumber-Bhela received the RJ Erickson Group Award, which recognizes individuals and groups across Kaiser Permanents that champion equity, inclusion, and diversity, for their EID work in the Kaiser Mental Health Training Program.
Learn more about Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity at Kaiser Permanente
Mental Health Training Program Commitment
The Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Training Program has a long-standing commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity and justice. We design each of our programs’ curricula with diversity training as a major component and encourage our training faculty and trainees to foster cultural humility. Seeing things beyond our own perspective improves interpersonal interactions with our colleagues and the people we serve and becoming a better therapist.
Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Initiatives
Mentorship Program
This EID-focused program matches interested trainees with licensed providers in Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Departments who serve as mentors and offer guidance and support distinct from what is provided by formal clinical supervision.
Voice of the Trainee Program
Each training year, selected trainees are appointed to participate with the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Officer Team to ensure direct input from our trainees on current EID issues related to mental health training and the delivery of mental health services.
Spanish Bilingual Specialty Training (SBST)
This specialty programming supports trainees who are able to provide mental health services to patients in both Spanish and English. Trainees are provided with individual and group consultation and didactics in both languages.
Gender Health Competency Program
Opportunities include specialty training in the Multi-Specialty Transitions (MST) Department, which is committed to providing equitable, compassionate, and high-quality medical care to transgender and gender-diverse patients. Trainees may also gain competency providing gender health services in their local Mental Health Department.
Community Partnership Projects
Reflecting our commitment to mental health and wellness in our communities, trainees engage in a project that focuses on improving mental health in the local community. The goal of this project is to provide outreach to underserved populations in the community to promote healthy behaviors.
Community Mentorship Program
This mentorship program matches trainees with high school students interested in mental health careers. The purpose of this program is to provide career guidance and academic support to adolescents from underserved and underrepresented communities.
Goals of our Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Program
We aim to promote diversity as an imperative versus an option by focusing our goals on:
Our Patients
The training programs reflect the populations served, and their experiences related to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, race, spirituality, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
Our Trainees
The training programs are designed to enhance and support all trainees and provide a safe space for them to reflect on their experiences without judgment or shame.
Our Community
The training programs foster and sustain connections with underserved communities through active and reciprocal partnerships.
Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Officers
As Liaisons of the Mental Health Training Program, we work towards increasing awareness of our Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity vision. Our efforts include but are not limited to recruitment and outreach at various local and national conferences, EID Forums, Mentorship, coordination of support to our local sites regarding consultation, providing a safe space for trainees to voice concerns, participating in health fairs and more.
To ensure we receive direct input from our trainees on Equity Inclusion and Diversity initiatives, please reach out with any questions.
It is important to us that your voice is heard.
Aubyn Fulton, PhD
For questions related to EID trainee liaisons and forums please contact Dr. Fulton.
Aubyn Fulton, PhD
Dr. Fulton received his B.A. from Pacific Union College in Psychology and Religion and his M.A. in Theology and PhD in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He completed his doctoral internship at the VA Medical Center in Martinez. He was a staff psychologist at Napa State Hospital for three years, and in part-time private practice, specializing in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in young adults and general psychological assessment for 25 years.
For that same period, he was professor of psychology at Pacific Union College in Napa Valley, chairing the Psychology and Social Work Department for ten years. He was sponsor of the Black Student Union there, and building on his dissertation research on the relationship of religiosity to both homophobia and tolerance, facilitated a support group for LGBTQ young adults in conservative religious communities.
Currently Dr. Fulton supports the Mental Health Training Program by providing individual and group supervision, mentoring trainees with their program evaluation projects, serving as one of the program’s Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Officers, and serving as the training director for the pre and post master’s training programs in the Napa-Solano service area.
Chinue Brown, PsyD
For questions related to the Mentorship Programs, please contact Dr. Brown.
Chinue Brown, PsyD
Dr Chinue (cheen-way) A Brown is licensed psychologist in the state of California and currently serves as a clinical supervisor and Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (EID) Officer for Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional Mental Health Training Programs (MHTP).
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis, master’s degree from The University of Southern California (USC) and she received her doctorate from Alliant International University (CSPP).
Dr. Brown joined Kaiser Permanente during her post-doctoral fellowship and has worked in several different clinics on both child and family teams as well as adult teams. Currently, she is a clinical supervisor with Kaiser Permanente Counseling Center where she supervises both master and doctoral level trainees.
She is one the founding faculty of the EID programming for all mental health trainee programs (PhD/PsyD: Psychology Practicum Externship, Post Masters Fellowship, Pre-Master’s practicum, Doctoral Internship, Postdoctoral Residency and Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Residency) in Northern California since 2016. She also works to continue to create equity and inclusion throughout the training program, promote diversity as well as create pathways that promote inclusiveness and reflect equity and diversity into the field of clinical psychology, mental health and other various graduate programs. Furthermore, she works in the community both with her local church and other organizations to dismantle the stigma associated with mental health and help create pathways into the profession.
Patrizia Meunier, LMFT, PhD (Physics)
For questions related to the Bilingual Track please contact Patrizia.
Patrizia Meunier, LMFT, PhD (Physics)
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, graduate of 2005 from JFK University in California, East Bay with a master’s in counseling psychology. I have been working in the mental health field since 2003 providing outpatient mental health services. Having joined Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in 2014, I started a new Specialty Track in Spanish language in 2016 and I have been directing and supervising in the Bilingual Program since. Counseling is for me the second career I developed; my background in academia has helped me organizing the didactics aspects this program.
I am also an EMDR therapist, and I have experience treating a variety of mental health problems; my interest is especially in providing high quality services for the Hispanic population (directly in Spanish, when possible) and in trauma informed therapy approaches. Training new clinicians is a passion of mine that I take very seriously and with heart; my commitment in the Bilingual (Spanish) Training Program combines many interests of mine and I am grateful, humbled, and honored everyday by this opportunity to direct the Program.
