As part of Black History Month, we celebrate Professor Emeritus Janet E. Helms, one of the most influential figures in counseling psychology and the study of racial identity.
Widely regarded as the “GOAT” of racial identity theory, Helms fundamentally changed how psychology, therapy, and education talk about race, racism, whiteness, and the psychological experiences of People of Color.
While much of mainstream psychology in the late 20th century clung to “colorblind” approaches that ignored racial dynamics, Helms built rigorous, evidence-based frameworks that centered race as a core psychological variable. Her White Racial Identity Development model (1984/1990) became foundational, describing how white individuals move through statuses—from racial obliviousness (Contact) to active anti-racist identity (Autonomy).
Her parallel Black Racial Identity Development model gave clinicians tools to understand how Black clients heal from internalized racism and oppression.
Helms also exposed cultural bias in psychological testing. She was among the first to demonstrate how IQ tests and standardized assessments were often rigged against non-white populations through cultural assumptions and language. Her work helped shift the field toward culturally responsive assessment and counseling.
She co-developed Womanist Psychology, a framework that specifically addresses the intersectional experiences of Black women, integrating race, gender, class, and cultural resilience. This work laid critical groundwork for later intersectional and decolonial approaches in therapy.
A prolific scholar, Helms authored or co-authored nearly 100 articles and influential books, including the widely used A Race Is a Nice Thing to Have: A Guide to Being a White Person or Understanding the White Person in Your Life (now in its 3rd edition) and Using Race and Culture in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory and Process (with Donelda Cook). These texts remain staples in counseling psychology programs, diversity training, and anti-racism workshops.
Her career has been decorated with major honors:
- APA Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology (2006)
- APA Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy (2008)
- Association of Black Psychologists Distinguished Psychologist Award (2007)
- APA/APF Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Public Interest
- Lifetime Achievement awards from Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) and Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race)
- Inaugural Janet E. Helms Award for Mentoring and Scholarship (Columbia University Teachers College, 1991), named in her honor
Helms served as Augustus Long Professor at Boston College, Director of the Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture, past president of APA Division 17 (Counseling Psychology), and expert witness before the U.S. Supreme Court in Ricci v. DeStefano. She sat on key APA committees on testing, assessment, and specialty recognition.
Thanks to her, every therapy session now openly addresses race, every training rejects colorblindness, and every framework treats racial identity as central to mental health and healing.
