Faculty

Thomas Vance, PhD, is a clinical psychotherapist, educator, and leadership advisor whose work lives at the intersection of healing, culture, and leadership. His courses at The New School, including Introduction to Cultural Psychology, The Psychology of Oppression, Multicultural Psychology, and Decolonial Psychology, ask what psychology looks like when culture is treated as the foundation rather than a footnote.

He completed clinical training at Boston University School of Medicine's Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology and a postdoctoral fellowship in LGBT Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and his scholarship examines the well-being of people holding multiple stigmatized identities, with an emphasis on social justice, holistic wellness, and strengths. Beyond the classroom, he designs leadership development and executive coaching for leaders in complex organizations and founded ClearMinds, an Atlanta-based practice and advisory firm. He holds dual-state licensure as a clinical psychotherapist.

PhD, Counseling Psychology, The University of Akron, 2018
MAEd, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, The University of Akron, 2013
BA, Psychology (minor in Sociology), The University of West Georgia, 2011

Singh, A., Estevez, R. I., Seth, R., Vance, T., et al. (2025). Foundational knowledge for providing affirmative care to trans and gender diverse patients (book chapter).

Paine, E. A., Abad, M., Barucco, R., Vance, T., & Bockting, W. O. (2024). "Too much trouble": Transgender and nonbinary people's experiences of stigmatization and stigma avoidance in the workplace. Work and Occupations.

Robinson, R. K., Callander, D., Farvid, P., & Vance, T. (2024). Sexual racism as white privilege (book chapter).

Vance, T., Lodge, T., & Farvid, P. (2021). Optimal Theory case conceptualisation: An African-centred therapeutic approach with Black LGBQ clients. Psychology and Sexuality.

Farvid, P., Vance, T., Klein, S., & Lopez, F. G. (2021). The health and wellbeing of transgender and gender non-conforming people of colour in the United States. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology.