Psychology and legal leaders warn federal rollbacks and debt threaten diverse pipelines

Representatives from the Massachusetts Psychological Association, Suffolk University Law School and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners described structural barriers that limit entry and retention of people of color in psychology and law.

Diana Westerberg and Dr. Erica Lee of the Massachusetts Psychological Association urged the Commonwealth to collect state‑level workforce data and to fund pipeline scholarships and mentorships for doctoral‑level training in clinical psychology. They warned recent federal executive orders and funding reductions have weakened accreditation standards' enforcement and scholarship pipelines that helped diversify the profession.

Professor (Suffolk Law) and Candace Kukas (Executive Director, Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners) outlined historic and current barriers in legal education and licensure: student‑debt burdens, litigation restricting race‑conscious admissions tools, and possible changes to ABA accreditation. Kukas noted some jurisdictions are decoupling from ABA accreditation, which could affect mobility and licensure for Massachusetts applicants.

Speakers urged concrete state action: earlier and guaranteed financial supports for graduate training, state scholarship or loan‑repayment programs, outreach to community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities, and collection of demographic data to monitor progress.