Episode 80: Dr. Almas (Ally) Merchant and Dr. Linda Woolf

Dr. Almas (Ally) Merchant is a clinical psychologist, Director and Clinical Supervisor at Stress & Trauma Evaluation and Psychological Services (STEPS), and American Psychological Association (APA) Council Representative for Division 39, the Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology. She also co-chairs the Global Issues and Global Human Rights Caucus and co-hosts the Couched (https://couchedpodcast.org/) podcast.  Dr. Linda Woolf is a Professor of Psychology and International Human Rights at Webster University and was elected 2027 president of the American Psychological Association. Her work addresses human rights education, peace psychology, and the psychosocial roots of genocide and torture. Episode 80 Summary In this episode, Linda and Ally reflect on the experiences that shaped their commitment to human rights. Linda describes how teaching about the Holocaust led her to explore other genocides and incorporate human rights into her courses. Ally shares how her upbringing in India, early mentorship, and engagement with postcolonial thought informed her understanding of justice, dignity, and the relationship between psychological distress and structural inequality. The conversation explores how psychologists translate human rights commitments into clinical practice, education, policy, and advocacy. Linda and Ally discuss professional accountability, opposition to torture, freedom of expression, access to healthcare, and the importance of challenging systems that place some lives above others. They also reflect on influential role models, Indigenous perspectives on relationships with land and other living beings, and psychology’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. Topics discussed: • Personal journeys into human rights • Psychology, social justice, and structural inequality • Human rights in clinical practice and education • Professional ethics and accountability • APA policy and freedom of expression • Healthcare access and advocacy • Human rights role models • Indigenous perspectives and the value of every life • Psychology and the Sustainable Development Goals Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...) . Listen on our HREUSA podcast website HERE (https://hreusa.org/human-rights-educa...) . Introduction and Closing Music Credit:  “Awakening-Spring” by Ketsa, from the Album Night Vision.  Available at the Free Music Archive:  https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ke... This music is used in accordance with this Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) . Information about that license is available here  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Human Rights Education Now! is produced and distributed in accordance with Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International.  Information about this license is available here:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...