History of NMCS

In 1999, leaders in the field of psychology came together in Newport Beach, Calif., to address a pressing concern in the United States — the growing mental health needs of historically marginalized groups and disenfranchised individuals. Over two days, 550 scientists, practitioners, scholars and students discussed how psychology could better serve our diverse country and drafted proposals to address this need. It was a historic meeting that has grown into a biennial conference.

Since that first NMCS, attendees have emerged from each Summit with greater awareness, knowledge, and skills that they have been able to incorporate into their work.  From learning about research on the insidious dangers of covert racism to experiencing first-hand the effect of unintentional bigotry, the NMCS has served to remind us that psychologists must always be mindful of the impact of discriminatory environments and that we ourselves are not exempt from discriminatory views.

NMCS continues to be hosted biennially by four divisions of the American Psychological Association: 

• Division 17: Society of Counseling Psychology

• Division 35: Society for the Psychology of Women

• Division 44: Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

• Division 45: Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race