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Thema Bryant, PhD (she/her/hers)

Professor
Pepperdine University
Canoga Park, California, United States

Dr. Thema Bryant is a psychologist, author, professor, sacred artist, and minister who is leading the way in creating healthy relationships, healing traumas, and overcoming stress and oppression. Dr. Thema also hosts The Homecoming Podcast, which is dedicated to helping listeners reconnect with themselves and heal from past wounds. In her book Matters of the Heart (February 4, 2025; Penguin Random House), she empowers readers to connect with themselves and to others.

Dr. Thema Bryant completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Duke University and her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical Center’s Victims of Violence Program. Upon graduating, she became the Coordinator of the Princeton University SHARE Program, which provides intervention and prevention programming to combat sexual assault, sexual harassment, and harassment based on sexual orientation. She is currently a tenured professor of psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University, where she directs the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory. Her clinical and research interests center on interpersonal trauma and the societal trauma of oppression. Most recently, she was the 2023 president of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Her notable accolades include a 2013 APA award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. In 2016, the Institute of Violence, Abuse, and Trauma presented her with their media award for the film Psychology of Human Trafficking, and in 2018, she received their Donald Fridley Memorial Award for excellence in mentoring in trauma. The California Psychological Association recognized her for Distinguished Scientific Achievement in Psychology in 2015. In 2022, the International Division of the APA honored her for her International Contributions to the Study of Gender and Women, recognizing her work in Africa and the Diaspora. Most recently in 2023, she received the Silverman Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Justice in Psychology.

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