Kate Richmond, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Director of Women & Gender Studies
[email protected]
484-664-3423
Please join the department in congratulating Dr. Richmond on these prestigious national awards. Read more about all three awards here.
- 2020 Emerging Leader for Women in Psychology Award
- 2020 Florence Denmark Award
- 2020 Distinguished Publication Award for Kate's Psychology of Women textbook.
Teaching Interests:
I teach courses that bring together my passion for psychology, women & gender studies, mental health, and social justice. These include Psychology of Women, Multicultural Psychology, Inside/Out Prison Exchange, Introduction to Women & Gender Studies, Research Methods, Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Case Studies.
My classes are student-centered. I am energized by the process of learning. Most people believe that the professor is the one who holds knowledge. Yet, knowledge is not something to give; it is something that is in flux and in need of critical engagement. In this way, even when a course has the same title or covers the same content, each class takes on its own dynamics. After the semester ends, I am never quite the same, and my hope is that students are transformed too.
I teach because it is a high stakes undertaking. Our individual and collective futures depend on intellectual communities. As learners, we try to question and resist detrimental messages that can be absorbed unnoticed. Without the skills to evaluate, challenge, and reinvent, there is no opportunity for empowerment. Far worse, there is great potential for harm, since so much of the dominant discourse increases fear and anxiety. Together, we work to move away from indoctrination and toward the risky experience of becoming. Through this process, we develop compassion for each other, since we repeatedly uncover that living with freedom and responsibility is complicated and difficult. Ultimately, we know that it is not simply enough to engage in the classroom; we must also continually and impatiently work toward the liberation of each other.
I have been honored with the Paul C. Empie Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, the First Year Advising Award, and the Henry Award for Faculty Member of the Year.
Research Interests
I research in the areas of multicultural psychology, gender ideology, men and masculinity, transgender resiliency, feminist therapy, and trauma. In my research, I explore how social identity factors, such as your gender or race, influence mental health outcomes. I also explore how certain gendered experiences, like becoming a father or experiencing menstruation, can influence your relationships with others.
My undergraduate textbook, Psychology of Women & Gender, was published by W. W. Norton in November 2018. The Association of Women in Psychology honored this work with the 2020 Distinguished Publication Award.
Example Journal Publications (*indicates Muhlenberg student co-author):
Richmond, K., Burnes, T, Signth & Ferarra, M.* (2017). Assessment and treatment of trauma with transgender and gender nonconforming clients: A feminist approach. In lore dickey and Anneliese Signh (Eds). Handbook on Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Clients. American Psychological Association: Washington, DC.
Levant, R. F., Alto, K. M*., McKelvey, D*. K., Richmond, K. A., & McDermott, R. C. (2017). Variance Composition, Measurement Invariance by Gender, and Construct Validity of the Femininity Ideology Scale-Short Form. Journal Of Counseling Psychology, doi:10.1037/cou0000230
Rosenberg, A*., Gates, A.*, Richmond, K., & Sinno, S. (2016). It’s Not a Joke: Masculinity Ideology and Homophobic Language. Psychology Of Men & Masculinity, doi:10.1037/men0000063
Burnes, T. R., Dexter, M. M.*, Richmond, K., Singh, A. A., & Cherrington, A*. (2016). The experiences of transgender survivors of trauma who undergo social and medical transition. Traumatology, 22(1), 75-84. doi:10.1037/trm0000064
Erchull, M.J., & Richmond, K. (2016). “It’s normal…Mom will be home in an hour:” The role of fathers in menstrual education. Women’s Reproductive Health.
Richmond, K., Levant, R., Smalley, B., & Cook, S. (2015). The Femininity Ideology Scale (FIS): Dimensions and its relationship to anxiety and feminine gender role stress. Women & Health, 55(3), 263-279. doi:10.1080/03630242.2014.996723
Levant, R. F., & Richmond, K. (2015). The gender role strain paradigm and masculinity ideologies. In Y. J. Wong, S. R. Wester, Y. J. Wong, S. R. Wester (Eds.), APA handbook of men and masculinities (pp. 23-49). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14594-002
Levant, R. F., Richmond, K., Cruickshank, B., Rankin, T. J., & Rummell, C. M. (2014). Exploring the role of masculinity in the relationship between day care and children's behavior problems. American Journal Of Family Therapy, 42(3), 193-204. doi:10.1080/01926187.2013.814390
Richmond, K., Geiger, E.,* & Reed, C.* (2013). The personal is political: A feminist and trauma- informed therapeutic approach to working with a survivor of sexual assault. Clinical Case Studies, 12(6), 443-456. doi:10.1177/1534650113500563
Levant, R. & Richmond, K. (2013). Teaching the psychology of men and masculinity to undergraduates. In D. Dunn (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education. Oxford Univesity Press: New York, NY.
Singh, A. A., Richmond, K., & Burnes, T. R. (2013). Feminist participatory action research with transgender communities: Fostering the practice of ethical and empowering research designs. International Journal Of Transgenderism, 14(3), 93-104. doi:10.1080/15532739.2013.818516
Richmond, K. A., Burnes, T., & Carroll, K.* (2012). Lost in trans-lation: Interpreting systems of trauma for transgender clients. Traumatology, 18(1), 45-57. doi:10.1177/1534765610396726
Burnes, T. R., & Richmond, K. (2012). Counseling strategies with intersex clients: A process- Based, trauma informed approach. In S. H. Dworkin, M. Pope, S. H. Dworkin, M. Pope (Eds.), Casebook for counseling lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons and their families (pp. 35-44). Alexandria, VA, US: American Counseling Association.
Richmond, K. A., Levant, R. F., & Ladhani, S. J. (2012). The varieties of the masculine experience. In R. Josselson, M. Harway, R. Josselson, M. Harway (Eds.), Navigating multiple identities: Race, Gender, culture, nationality, and roles (pp. 59-73). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732074.003.0004
Levant, R. F., & Richmond, K. A. (2010). Teaching masculinity in the undergraduate classroom. Psychcritiques, 55(2), doi:10.1037/a0017899
Richmond, K. (2010). Bound by binaries: The invisibility of patriarchy. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 34(2), 267-268. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2010.01570.x
Richmond, K., Carroll, K.,* & Denboske, K.* (2010). Gender identity disorder: Concerns and controversies. In J. C. Chrisler, D. R. McCreary, J. C. Chrisler, D. R. McCreary (Eds.) , Handbook of gender research in psychology, Vol 2: Gender research in social and applied psychology (pp. 111-131). New York, NY, US: Springer Science + Business Media. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1467-5_6
Professional Service
I have served on several national executive boards, including several for the American Psychological Association. In 2018, I was awarded the Sue Rosenberg Zalk Award for Distinguished Service to the Society for the Psychology of Women. I also co-founded the Institute for Academic Feminist Psychologists, an organization that hosts professional development events for early career scholars. In 2016, I became a Think Tank member for the Inside/Out Prison Exchange Program at SCI-Graterford Prison. In addition to teaching, I have a private practice, in which I specialize in the treatment of trauma and issues related to gender.
