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Course Detail: SWKB - What 'We' Carry Into the Room - History Walks Into Every Session
This training is about the clinician AND the client. It is designed to deepen clinicians' understanding of how cultural trauma - present and historical - are carried into every therapeutic encounter - by both clients and clinicians - and how these often unseen influences shape perception, communication, trust, and the therapeutic alliance. Participants will engage in a reflective and practice-centered exploration of culture as an evolving, embodied presence - one that is informed by personal histories, collective experiences, and broader social forces. Particular attention will be given to how these dynamics are expressed not only through the clinician, but also through the broader therapeutic environment, including interdisciplinary collaborators and the physical or virtual space in which care occurs.
Using a variety of participant engagement activities, that involve guided reflection and interactive dialogue, this training will move beyond surface-level competence to examine the complex, and sometimes uncomfortable, realities of cultural exploration in behavioral health work. The goal is to support clinicians in recognizing the deep roots of culture and cultural trauma and to strengthen their ability to respond with greater intentionality and cultural humility.
Specific Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to . . . .
- Define cultural trauma (present and historical), identify factors that contribute to it, and explain how this trauma operates across individual, relational, and systemic levels in practice.
- Analyze how cultural traumas might shape client experiences, including identity development, behavioral responses, help-seeking patterns, and engagement in therapy.
- Examine the influence of the clinician's own cultural identity, cultural traumas, positionality, and practice context - including interdisciplinary collaborators and the therapeutic environment - on perception and the therapeutic relationship.
- Apply culturally responsive, trauma-informed strategies to strengthen engagement, navigate relational complexity, and support more effective and attuned practice.
SIUE is an approve CEU provider by the stat of Illinois for social work continuing education. If you are licensed/certified in any other stat or province, please refer to the regulations in that state or province or the national board requirement to determine whether this will qualify for CEU credits.