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On-Demand
Treating Racial Trauma

Module 1: Being an Anti Racist Therapist

Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP
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Pricing

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Recorded

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Define racial justice allyship and civil courage and explain their significance in dismantling systemic racism.

  • Identify the impact of implicit biases, microaggressions, and systemic racism in clinical settings and daily life.

  • Utilize cognitive-behavioral strategies to cultivate awareness, address internalized biases, and align actions with anti-racist values.

  • Develop skills to repair ruptures caused by microaggressions and foster open, respectful dialogue with clients and peers.

  • Recognize the therapist's role as an agent of change, advocating for racial equity and promoting healing for clients experiencing racial trauma.

Educational Goal

Drawing from evidence-based approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy, participants will be equipped with actionable strategies to promote healing, empowerment, and systemic change.

Description

In societies structured by racial hierarchies, racism profoundly influences opportunities, outcomes, and well-being. Achieving racial equity requires more than passive goodwill; it demands intentional action, civil courage, and a commitment to allyship. Therapists have a unique role in dismantling systemic racism, challenging biases, and fostering racial justice within their practices and communities. This module introduces the foundational principles of becoming an anti-racist therapist. Through an exploration of allyship, civil courage, and the behavioral tools necessary for change, participants will learn how to challenge biases, address microaggressions, and support clients experiencing racial trauma. Drawing from evidence-based approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy, participants will be equipped with actionable strategies to promote healing, empowerment, and systemic change.

Presenters

Monnica T. Williams, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Monnica T. Williams is a board-certified Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Professor at the University of Ottawa, in the School of Psychology, where she is the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities. She is also the Clinical Director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinics in Connecticut and Ottawa, where she provides supervision and training to clinicians for empirically-supported treatments. Prior to her move to Canada, Dr. Williams was on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School (2007-2011), the University of Louisville in Psychological and Brain Sciences (2011-2016), where she served as the Director of the Center for Mental Health Disparities, and the University of Connecticut (2016-2019), where she had appointments in both Psychological Science and Psychiatry. Dr. Williams' research focuses on BIPOC mental health, culture, and psychopathology, and she has published over 200 scientific articles on these topics. Current projects include the treatment of racial trauma, improving cultural competence in the delivery of mental health care services, and addressing structural racism. She gives diversity trainings nationally for academic programs, scientific conferences, and organizations. Through the Kentucky Psychological Association (KPA), Dr. Williams served as the diversity delegate to Washington DC for the American Psychological Association (APA) State Leadership Conference for two consecutive years. She has served as the African American SIG leader for Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), and recently served as Chair of their Academic Training & Education Standards (ATES) Committee. She serves as an Associate Editor of Behavior Therapy and the Behavior Therapist. She also serves on the editorial board of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Canadian Psychology, International Journal of Mental Health, the Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders, and the Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and co-founded their Diversity Council. Her work has been featured in all major US and Canadian media outlets, including NPR, CBS, CTV, CBC, Huffington Post, and the New York Times.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Collectively Rooted