Dr. Joshua DeSilva

Joshua DeSilva, Psy.D., CGP (they/them) is a queer, Latinx psychologist and an assistant professor of clinical psychology at George Washington University. Dr. DeSilva's research interests include applying psychoanalytic theory to groups and organizations, somatic and experiential approaches to psychotherapy (e.g., AEDP, Somatic Experiencing), and liberation psychology. Within the GWU PsyD program, Dr. DeSilva runs the Groups, Organizations, and Culture Lab (GOCL) which provides organizational assessment services to community organizations for free.

 

Dr. DeSilva also specializes in group and individual psychotherapy with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ populations. Dr. DeSilva's group work has been featured in videos produced by the American Psychological Association and the American Group Psychotherapy Association. Other recent group work has included leading the first all-BIPOC large group consulting team at the American Group Psychotherapy Association's national conference for over one hundred attendees, as well as directing a group relations conference sponsored by the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems that focused on Latine leadership and authority dynamics. They presented an APA-approved, CE bearing workshop titled "Queering Our Groups: Moving Beyond Inclusion" to the Atlanta Group Psychotherapy Society in November 2023. Locally, Dr. DeSilva is President-Elect of the Mid-Atlantic Group Psychotherapy Society. Their service to the profession includes membership on the national AEDP Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, as well as membership on the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists. 

 

In addition to teaching and running a part-time private practice, Dr. DeSilva was appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam in 2020 to serve a four year term on the Virginia Latino Advisory Board. In this role, they advised the Governor and General Assembly on Latinx affairs statewide. Dr. DeSilva has a passion for public service, community psychology, and connecting graduate students with community service and advocacy roles that authentically connect with their interests.