MPS is sharing the following 3 credit CE opportunity in collaboration with State, Provincial and Territorial Associations in North America.
Antiracism is not an add-on to clinical care—it is a core ethical responsibility. This workshop invites mental health professionals to critically examine how racism and systemic inequities affect diagnosis, treatment access, and client outcomes. Using an antiracist and trauma-informed framework, participants will gain tools to reduce harm, strengthen the therapeutic alliance, and provide more equitable, culturally responsive mental health care. Further, clinicians will learn practical strategies to identify bias, address racial dynamics in the therapy room, and integrate antiracist principles across assessment, diagnosis, and intervention.
Objectives
1. Identify ways racism operates as a chronic stressor and traumatic exposure affecting mental health outcomes across the lifespan.
2. Apply antiracist principles to clinical decision-making, including intake, diagnosis, goal-setting, and termination.
3. Identify signs of racialized stress responses that may be misdiagnosed as pathology.
About the speaker
Jessica M. Smedley, PsyD, is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Smedley holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. Her dissertation work focused on the areas of trauma and spirituality in urban communities. Dr. Smedley holds adjunct faculty appointments at The George Washington University and Howard University. Dr. Smedley provides assessment and treatment to adults, children and families, and highly values growth, cultural awareness, positive racial identity, and incorporating one's unique individual background into treatment. She has found that a strength-based approach has greater, long-term impact, encouraging individuals, families and professionals to hone their strengths and thrive based on a positive belief system.
Questions:
Email MPS.TGauthier@gmail.com or ContEd.MPS@gmail.com
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