Partnering with Churches, Psychology Team Targets Suicides Among Black Youth

With suicide rates skyrocketing among young African Americans, Psychology professor Sherry Molock is working with churches to address the crisis in communities.

October 12, 2022

Professor Molock stands holding a microphone and addresses a crowd out of view.

Psychology professor Sherry Molock has served as a pastor at the Beloved Community Church in Maryland for more than 14 years.

As an expert researcher, Sherry Molock, associate professor of clinical psychology at the George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS), has studied the impact of depression and trauma on young African Americans who attempt suicide.

And as a pastor at a predominately Black church in Maryland, she’s heard the voices of parishioners in crisis, from mothers whose children have experienced violence to families struggling with mental health challenges.