LaMaurice Gardner, PhD (1936 – 2001)

Dr. LaMaurice H. Gardner was a local pioneer in Black Psychology. He attended Cathedral Central High School in the Arden Park neighborhood of Detroit and then earned a Bachelor of Philosophy and Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of Detroit. Dr. Gardner then earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago in 1964.  Following graduation, Dr. Gardner returned to the Detroit Metro area where he practiced as a clinical and psychoanalytic psychologist with interests in experimental hypnosis, Black history, oppression, and marriage and family therapy.  He held leadership positions with some of the largest providers of mental health care in the Detroit region, and his career focused on overcoming racial and economic biases in therapy and improving the quality of Black families and relationships. His early work challenged the notion that a Black therapist could not work with white clients. His 1971 research article focused on overcoming inter-racial barriers for effective psychotherapy. Read more about Dr. Gardner’s legacy here.

 

This scholarship fund was established by the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists after Dr. Gardner’s death in 2001 to provide financial support for the professional development of Black graduate psychology students and early career psychologists. Dr. Gardner’s legacy lives on through this memorial fund.

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