This course satisfies your cultural diversity requirement.

The Arab/ Middle Eastern community constitutes a culturally rich and diverse ethnic group; however, in contrast to other ethnic groups in the United States,this group has received little attention in the literature.   This seminar will provide a brief description of Arab populations with regard to ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.  It will also explore the impact of actual and perceived experiences of discrimination and prejudice on Arab client mental health.  Finally, this seminar will present recommendations for culturally sensitive treatment interventions for clinicians who wish to work with this population.

During a time of unprecedented crisis in the face of a global pandemic, many individuals across the globe are unfortunately impacted by another stressor detrimental to their health: racial trauma. Those who experience racial trauma have feelings of distress that lead them to seek counseling for symptom relief. Psychotherapists are charged with creating safe spaces to help clients heal from such dreadful life occurrences through the use of therapy services. 

The current webinar led by Dr. Lillian Gibson will provide mental health professionals with a practical framework to assess and treat racial trauma. The importance of recognizing both the likenesses and dissimilarities of clients’ and clinicians’ worldviews within the context of treatment will be explained. Participants will learn how to apply culturally-specific approaches when exploring trauma experiences and implement client-centered interventions. 

The on-line training will use a case vignette to guide the presentation and uncover mistakes that can be made when cultural considerations are not utilized. 

Participants will leave the webinar with a clear understanding of racial trauma, an awareness of racial trauma assessment options, the biopsychosocial impacts of trauma, symptom tracking measures, clinical pitfalls to avoid, steps to strengthen a therapeutic alliance, and a list of treatments that may be useful to decrease the effects of racial trauma (when appropriately applied).