Chanté D. DeLoach, Psy.D. 

Psychologist + teacher + Womanist + Friend + Community Member + mother

Dr. DeLoach, or "Dr. D" as she is affectionately known, is a licensed clinical psychologist (CA #26936/IL #071006955) practicing for almost fifteen years helping individuals, couples, and families create healthier, more meaningful relationships. Dr. DeLoach works with clients to help resolve issues and relationships that impede their wholeness. Her diverse training working in hospitals, community mental health centers, schools, and college counseling centers has afforded her the opportunity to work with a range of clients and presenting issues from everyday relational and workplace concerns to more significant problems disrupting their daily functioning. Dr. DeLoach has a degree specialization in Family Systems and sees people as being fundamentally relational and sentient beings seeking meaningful connections with others and purpose in life. She enjoys working with couples and the entire family unit when possible to foster sustainable change. Dr. DeLoach seeks to move therapy and wellness services from the margins to make psychological well-being accessible to populations traditionally underserved and inadequately served by psychology. As both a scholar and psychologist-healer, Dr. DeLoach relies upon both the science of psychology as well as traditional cultural and spiritual wisdoms to meet the complex needs of clients. She is experienced in integrating spirituality into counseling, when appropriate. She is sensitive to and experienced with working with clients from dominant to indigenous and traditional religions and spiritual philosophies.

In addition to her expertise in family systems, couple issues, and the integration of spiritual and cultural issues in therapy, Dr. DeLoach has additional postdoctoral training in Global Mental Health and trauma. She has worked with a range of trauma experiences such as childhood physical and sexual abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence, exposure to community violence as well as race and immigration related trauma experiences. As an international consultant with expertise in clinical traumatology, cultural, community, and liberation psychologies, she has conducted research, provided clinical services, consultation and workshops in Mexico, Ecuador, Haiti, Ukraine, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Zambia to name a few. Her research is focused primarily on the intersections of community, culture, and trauma exploring culturally distinct understandings of and responses to trauma, resilience, and recovery. She is particularly interested in race-based trauma in marginalized communities and has presented at academic conferences and published in these subject areas.  For almost twenty years, she has taught various psychology and social science courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. DeLoach has trained numerous doctoral students and emerging clinicians. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Clinical and Community Psychology at Santa Monica College.

Learn more about Dr. DeLoach’s holistic and affirming yet challenging approach to counseling and how you can work with her.  

Research interests

• Race-based trauma and trauma recovery

• Gendered racism

• Familial, spiritual, and community methods of healing in the global African community

• Qualitative and Womanist research methodologies

Educational Background

B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish

University of North Texas

M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with a degree specialization in Family Systems

Azusa Pacific University

Postgraduate certificate: Global Mental Health: Trauma Recovery

Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma

Collaborative Program of Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, & Ministry of Health Italy (Istituto Superiore di Sanita′)

Select Publications

DeLoach, C. (2017). Depression and bipolar disorder in couples. In Sperry, Helm, & Carlson (Eds). The Disordered Couple, 2nd Ed. Forthcoming to be published by Routledge.  

DeLoach, C, & Swaroop, S. (2014). Community transformation and collective healing: Lessons from Pakistan, Brazil, and Zambia. Global Journal of Community Psychology, Special Issue on Transformative Change in Community Mental Health, 5(1).

DeLoach, C., & Young, S. (2012). Genocide. Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Available from Springer online.

DeLoach, C., & Young, S. (2012). Transformation. Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Available Springer online.

DeLoach, C., & Young, S. (2012). Womanism.  Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Available from Springer online.

DeLoach, C., & Young, S. (2015). Not so black and white. In Dunham, S. (Ed). An Emotionally Focused Guide to Re-Visioning African American Relationships. Book chapter accepted for publication. Routledge.

DeLoach, C. (2012). Couples therapy with Black couples: Specific treatment strategies and techniques. In Helm, K., & Carlson, J. (Eds). Love, intimacy, sex, and the Black couple. Routledge.

DeLoach, C., Petersen-Coleman, M., Young, S. (2012). Sex, Love, and Intimacy Issues with Intercultural Black Couples. In Helm, K., & Carlson, J. (Eds). Love, intimacy, sex, and the Black couple. Routledge.

DeLoach, C. (2012). Bon kouraj: Learning courage through service. In Carlson, J., & Kottler, J. (Eds). Helping Beyond the 50 Minute Hour: Therapists Involved in REAL Social Action.

Swaroop, S., DeLoach, C., Sheikh, F. (2014). Islamic Healing Approaches, Beliefs, and Health-related Behaviors. In Gurung, R. (Ed). Multicultural Approaches to Health and Wellness. Praeger.

Swaroop, S., & DeLoach, C. (2015). Voices of trauma and resilience: Cultural and gender distinctive responses to war and displacement in Pakistan, Psychology & Developing Societies, 27, 1-30

DeLoach, C., Petersen, M. (2010). African spiritual methods of healing: The use of Candomble’ in traumatic response. Journal of Pan African Studies3(8), 40-65.

The Fanon Project (2010). Beyond Health Disparities: Examining Health Disparities and Industrial Complexes from the Views of Frantz Fanon (Part 1). Journal of Pan African Studies3(8), 151-178.