Are you ready to go deeper in
your conversations about trauma & oppression?
Are you longing for a community of providers
who want to do more than talk about these topics?
Do you need help to take action?
Join the conversation and let’s engage in this work together.
The Trauma, Oppression & the Therapeutic Relationship Foundations Course seeks to demystify the connections between these topics, helping mental health and wellness providers without a background in social justice movement work to join the conversation around collective healing. Through a combination of education, self-reflection and culture-building, the Foundations Course invites mental health and wellness providers to radically re-envision their work in service of liberation for all people.
Registration for the 2021 Foundations Course is now open and will close February 1st.
Space is limited, and the course will not reopen until 2022. If you’re ready for more guidance, resources and connection in your work to unlearn oppressive conditioning and engage in anti-oppressive practice, you’re invited to join the conversation.
Foundations Course Modules
The Foundations Course contains 8 online modules accompanied by a monthly live Zoom call to unpack the topics, ask questions and connect with other course participants who are also learning and growing in their therapeutic and anti-oppression work.
Throughout the course, the live calls will include a focus on using somatic centering and orienting practices to ground our bodies as we explore these concepts together and begin to build a community and culture that seeks to divest from oppressive practices. Group discussions and smaller breakouts will focus on how the course concepts show up in our practices, in the person of the therapist and in our therapeutic relationships. In addition to the support you’ll receive in the monthly live calls, members are encouraged to connect with each other for support and deeper reflection through a private Facebook group for course participants and alumni.
Module 1: Orienting to Systemic Oppression
Module 2: Power, Privilege & Shame Resilience
Module 3: Oppression & the Body
Module 4: Gender & Sexuality Beyond the Binary
Module 5: The Trauma of Oppression
Module 6: The Therapeutic Relationship: Creating Safer Containers For Our Work
Module 7: The Person of the Therapist: Noticing How We Show Up
Module 8: Values and Visions for Anti-Oppressive, Trauma-Informed Practice
Here’s What’s Included:
8 pre-recorded video lessons introducing you to the material in each module
8 live calls to connect with other participants, ask questions and get support for your process
Reflection questions for each module to help you go deeper into the topics
Handouts to use with your clients from the Gender & Sexuality module
Access to a private Facebook group just for Foundations Course participants and alumni
Eligibility to join the Trauma, Oppression and the Therapeutic Relationship Consult Group when you complete the course
I’m always creating new content, so there will be much more as the course goes on!
Bonus: If you pay in full by February 1st, you’ll receive a PDF of the entire course syllabus with links to all the readings, podcasts and other materials so that you don’t have to wait to dive into the topics you’re most interested in.
This is the right course for you if…
You’re a therapist, counselor, coach or any other type of healing practitioner who’s ready to take a deep dive into your own conditioning into white supremacy culture and other systems of oppression.
You’re ready to be a part of a community of practitioners sharing, learning and growing together. (Yes, it will feel vulnerable! But you’ll also likely feel less alone.)
You’re aware that you have learning to do around trauma and oppression and that learning more will make you a better practitioner.
This isn’t the right course for you if…
You don’t plan to attend the live calls or connect with other participants. Recordings of the calls will be available for folks who can’t join us every time, but the main transformation that this course offers is found in the conversations and connections we will build together. If you don’t have the time or energy to show up for that right now, this course isn’t the right fit for you.
You want someone to tell you how to be a better person/therapist/ally. We will be doing some deep soul searching together. I hope that you will emerge changed for the better and with a deeper understanding of your work, but this course does not offer any easy answers.
You’re offended by cursing or don’t really appreciate humor. I tend to curse like a sailor, and humor is one of my dearest resources. If that makes you uncomfortable, you will probably spend a lot of time uncomfortable in this course.
Foundation Course FAQ’s
What's the format?↓
The Foundations Course contains 8 online modules accompanied by a 90 minute monthly live Zoom call to unpack the material, to reflect on what you’re learning and how to apply it to your practice, and to connect with other course participants to learn from their experiences with the material. The course modules are designed to be done in order and in conversation with others, so as soon as we’re done with one month’s Zoom call, you’ll get online access to the next module. The course will be delivered through Podia, a user-friendly platform that will allow you to keep up with all of the course material in one place.
What’s the time commitment?↓
Each module will contain a brief video introduction to that module’s topic, along with an article or two (or podcast episode or video) that goes deeper into the topic. Expect to spend about an hour or two reading or listening to the material for each module. On the 1st Friday of each month at 9:30AM (Eastern), we’ll meet on Zoom for 90 minutes to unpack the material and discuss implications for our work as providers. Course participants are encouraged to spend some time between live calls connecting with each other for support and deeper reflection through a private Facebook group for course participants.
Is this only for therapists?↓
Not at all! Anyone practicing therapeutic or healing work is welcome to enroll in the Foundations Course. This includes not only therapists and counselors but also coaches, psychiatrists, herbalists, bodyworkers and other somatic practitioners. If you’re not sure if this group is a good fit for you, let’s talk about it.
What’s the schedule?↓
Below is the schedule for the monthly Zoom live calls next to the module that will be discussed. All Zoom calls are on Friday mornings at 9:30AM Eastern time for 90 minutes. If you can’t make it live, you’ll receive access to the recording.
2021 Live Call Dates:
Module 1: February 5
Module 2: March 5
Module 3: April 2
Module 4: May 7
Module 5: June 4
Module 6: July 2
Module 7: August 6
Module 8: September 3
What's the cost?↓
The cost of the Foundations Course is $600.
Participants who pay in full by February 1st will receive a PDF of the entire course syllabus with links to all the readings, podcasts and other materials so that you don’t have to wait to dive into to the topics you’re most interested in.
Participants may also split the cost of the course into 2 payments of $300 each or 8 monthly payments of $75.
I’ve chosen not to charge more for the monthly payment option so as not to penalize those who can’t afford to pay the full price at once. My hope is to make the Foundations Course available to anyone who would like to dive into these topics and be a part of a community of providers reflecting on their relevance in their work. If cost is a barrier to your participation, please reach out so that we can explore options.Can I get CEU's?↓
This course has not been pre-approved by any board for continuing education units. However, for North Carolina social workers, the live calls meet the NC Social Licensure Board’s requirements for “live/synchronous audio-video broadcasts allowing for real time interaction between the instructor and participants attending through electronic means.” I can provide you with a certificate of completion to count these live call hours when you’ve completed the course.
Do you have other questions that aren’t answered here?
Drop me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Once you’ve completed the Foundations Course, you are invited to join my ongoing, drop-in Trauma, Oppression and the Therapeutic Relationship Consult Group to deepen your connections with colleagues engaged in this work and get support for the actions you’re taking with your clients and in your practice.
Learn more about my approach to these topics in this April 2020 interview about racial health disparities during the pandemic.