Death By A Thousand Nicks: Assessment & Treatment in Healing Racial Trauma [Asynchronous]

Credit Hours: 4.0

Although “the American Psychological Association (2003) stresses the importance of being aware of oneself as a racial and cultural being, as well as being aware of the cultural worldviews of one’s clients” (Williams, Shamp, & Harris, 2017), the Social Work profession has held a complex dual role—both advocating against injustice and, at times, perpetuating it. While social workers have worked to empower and support communities, our field has also engaged in policies and practices that have reinforced stereotypes, discrimination, and systemic oppression, contradicting our ethical principles and core values.

This workshop is a call to move beyond awareness into action. Participants will critically the impact of community-level adversities, analyze racism, implicit bias, and microaggressions and explore the role of structural racism in internalized oppression, apply a trauma-informed lens to understand the intergenerational impact of historical trauma across the lifespan, and differentiate between intrapersonal and interpersonal cultural humility as tools for building rapport and creating healing environments.

Through interactive dialogue, case analysis, and collaborative problem-solving, participants will evaluate and select culturally responsive assessment tools, diagnostic approaches, and healing strategies to promote physical and emotional safety, validate lived experiences, and co-create empowerment with individuals and communities. As Maya Angelou reminds us, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” This is an invitation to lean into discomfort, reflect on the harms within our profession’s history, and commit to transforming social work practice into one that is actively decolonized, equitable, and healing-centered.