Dr. Shola Shodiya (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at UCSB and director of the NIA (Navigating Identity and Activism) research lab. Her research aims to understand how marginalized groups understand and engage in the construct of resistance (e.g., sociopolitical activism), and how intentional action against intersectional oppression impacts emotional and spiritual well-being. Dr. Shodiya is especially interested in resistance to environmental racism, resistance to stop structural racism in school and healthcare settings, and community-level resistance rooted in organizing and collective care.
With regard to healing work, Dr. Shodiya supports students in their training and community members in their healing, employing the ethics of love and care in service of health equity, consistent with Black Feminist and Black liberation psychologies. Her approach to facilitating healing and wellness among individuals and organizations is highly relational and focuses on strengthening the relationships among self, others, and community. Her research and clinical work are heavily influenced by narrative and interpersonal practices, and rooted in storytelling and critical action.
Dr. Shodiya earned her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Georgia State University and completed her doctoral internship at the Counseling and Psychological Services Center at UC Santa Cruz. Prior to her doctoral-level training, she completed a master's in Counseling at San Francisco State University and a bachelor's in African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.