Introducing the REACH Model: A Tool for Flexibly Conceptualizing the Impacts of Racism-Related Stress on Individuals of Color

Ryan C.T DeLapp, Ph.D

Ryan C.T. DeLapp, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in New York, Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and the Founder and Director of the Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Healing (REACH) program at The Ross Center. Dr DeLapp is widely recognized for his expertise in supporting minority individuals with healing from and learning to navigate cultural stressors within their lives and has developed a novel program called REACH (Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Healing). The REACH Program adapts evidenced-based treatments to help teens and young adults develop protective skills to alleviate the impact of race-based stress. This program is derived from nearly 10 years of Dr. DeLapp’s research and clinical practice. And, from this work, he has authored over 20 publications and has conducted over 100 presentations discussing considerations for assessing and treating racism-related stress in diverse populations, including a publication introducing a model for helping clinicians flexibly adapt treatment plans to address disclosures of race-based stress during therapy (DeLapp & Gallo, 2022). The culmination of these considerations will be featured in his upcoming REACH self-help workbook for adolescents and young adults of color that will be published in collaboration with Guildford Press Publishing