Talking Honestly About Race and Racism [Online]

This online workshop will introduce participants to the language and facilitation skills to engage in conversation about race and racism with cross-race facilitators who will share experiences and strategies for engaging in difficult cross-racial dialogue. The workshop will offer attendees an opportunity to challenge assumptions and stereotypes, increase critical consciousness and awareness, and develop a more in-depth way of thinking about these issues. Participants will explore topics on the historical context of racism in the US, white power and privilege, and micro-aggression in multiple social contexts.

The training will be both cognitive and experiential, and through a combination of lecture, reflective discussions, videotapes, and experiential exercises, participants will discuss important themes and concepts that provoke dialogue, along with an emphasis on personal exploration and deeper self-reflection.

Learning Objectives:

• Increase ones’ cultural awareness and critical consciousness about the impact of systemic and institutional forces of racism in the US
• Recognize how white power and privilege with its norms and standards are entrenched in participants everyday lives
• Learn to identify racial micro-aggressions and the effect these dilemmas have on the clinical and personal interactions with other races and ethnicities

Presenters:

Aquilla Frederick, MBA, LCSW, is an experienced Ackerman trained Family and Couple Therapist, Founder and Co-Facilitator of the Talk Race Project, Teaching Faculty member at The Ackerman Institute for the Family, maintains a Private Practice in NYC, and recently developed the Grief Share Group for Covid19 people of color grieving the loss of a loved one. Formal Financial/Accounting professional and Adjunct Teacher for CUNY teaching all levels of accounting.

Frank Wells, LCSW, is a teaching faculty member at the Ackerman Institute. A graduate of New York University School of Social Work, Frank has previously worked as a therapist in child welfare and outpatient mental health settings. He is currently working as a family therapist in the substance abuse field at the Freedom Institute in Midtown Manhattan where he runs support groups for spouses as well as parents of family members struggling with substance use in addition to his family and couples work. Through Freedom Institute, Frank has conducted professional trainings regarding the approaches and functions of family therapy within substance abuse treatment. Frank also maintains a private practice in New York City seeing individuals, couples and families.