Addressing Culture, Race and Racism in the Therapy Room: Discovering challenges and strategies

Dr. Susana A. Lopez, PhD PSY28957 & Dr. Kristin R. Campos PSY 29401

May 28, 2021  9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

Zoom invitation will be sent with reservation confirmation.

The context in which mental health disparities are produced for clients with a wide range of identities, specifically for BIPOC, enter the therapy room whether it is invited or not. We discuss how social and systemic factors impact the daily lives of diverse clients and how considering race and experience of racism matters in the therapy room. We then discuss the many challenges faced when discussing culture, race and racism with clients, while then offering concrete, culturally-humble strategies to explicit and implicit racial bias in clinicians. Recommendations are social justice-centered and focused on fostering the relationship between clinician and client.  

Goals:

1. Explain the context in which culture, race and racism are discussed with clients with a range of identities 
2. Describe culturally humble therapy strategies to increase multicultural competence.
3. Apply a social justice-centered lens when engaging in therapeutic work with clients with a range of identities.

Objectives

1. Participants will be able to identify and reflect upon three aspects of their own identity dimensions.
2. Participants will be able to recognize at least two dimensions of power in the intake and therapy relationship.
3. Participants will learn about at least two interactions between different types of racism and psychological wellness.
4. Participants will develop 3 statements to enhance anti-racism in the therapy room.

Dr. Lopez is a Latinx bicultural and bilingual (English/Spanish) licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in culturally-humble and trauma-informed psychological intervention and training for individuals in underserved communities. Dr. Lopez completed her Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara and an American Psychological Association Approved predoctoral internship at the USC/Los Angeles Children Hospital with a focus on community mental health. In addition, she completed a 2 yr postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA. She is the co-founder of Resilience Psychological Collaborative, Inc. in Atascadero, California. She is also a senior research associate for UCLA and a lecturer at Cal Poly SLO in the Psychology and Child Development Department. She uses her training experiences gained over the last 15 years to inform her practice, teaching, and research. 

Dr. Campos is a clinical psychologist who specializes in psychological services for neurodiverse children and adults, gender and sexually diverse individuals, and individuals with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Dr. Campos was raised on the a central coast native and completed her undergraduate training at UC Berkeley, graduate training at Penn State’s Child Clinical Psychology program and predoctoral internship at the USC/Los Angeles Children Hospital with a focus on assessment and consultation. She is the co-founder of Resilience Psychological Collaborative, Inc. Dr. Campos provides services to Spanish and English speaking individuals. Her professional goal is to increase access to effective, culturally humble, and resilience-enhancing services that promote the mental and behavioral wellness of our community.

5955 Capistrano Ave., Suite E
Atascadero, Ca. 93422
tel. 805-703-5330
fax. 805-703-5350
www.ResiliencePC.com