Description
May 9 & 10, 2024 | 8:30-11:30am
Description:
The United States of America continues to struggle with its racial diversity raising challenges for both clinicians and clients. This workshop will focus on the issue of African American mental health with the primary goal of helping non-Black clinicians better meet the needs of this population. However, the workshop also aims to improve cultural competence and deepen cultural humility for all marginalized populations. This training will include a brief review of significant historical events that continue to echo in contemporary racial tensions. It will explain how that history has contributed to the multiple meanings of the concepts of race and racism. It will offer a theoretical account of racial identity development that has important implications for cross-racial assessment and psychotherapy. It will also offer specific suggestions for adapting evidence-based practices to enhance outcomes for Black populations (and other marginalized groups). Finally, the workshop will serve as a reminder that despite our differences, our common humanity binds us together in quest for a more perfect tomorrow.
Objectives:
After completing the workshop, participants will be able to…
1. Explain the connection between African American history and contemporary events.
2. Define racism and explain its impact on African American psychology.
3. Apply models of Black and White racial identity development to clinical practice.
4. List disparities in mental health and mental health service utilization affecting African Americans Describe key adaptations to clinical practice to better meet African American needs.
5. Connect cultural competencies to professional ethics
Presenters:
Nnamdi Pole, PhD is a Professor and Endowed Chair of Psychology at Smith College in Northampton, MA, where he also serves as an adjunct professor in the School for Social Work. His research interests include cultural diversity, psychological trauma, and psychotherapy process. He regularly consults with mental health agencies on matters of diversity, inclusion, and equity. He is a licensed clinical psychologist, an American Psychological Association (APA) Council of Representative for the trauma psychology division, and a member of the APA Treatment Guideline Update Panel for adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is also involved on the editorial boards of several APA journals including Psychological Bulletin; Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy; and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
Contact hours:
6 contact hours for social workers, licensed clinical professional counselors, and behavioral health professionals
6 category I contact hours for psychologists. CCSME is a pre-approved sponsor and provider of Professional Education Activities for Psychologists.
6 contact hours for Alcohol and Drug Counselors pending approval from the Maine Board of Alcohol and Drug Counselors.
6 contact hours for CHES. CCSME is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
This training is intended for Maine residents or those who work in Maine. Attendees are required to be present for 100% of both training sessions and complete the course evaluation in order to receive a certificate. Partial credit will not be awarded.
