For many Latinx and BIPOC providers, educational programs and professional training has required that we distance ourselves from Indigenous practices and ways of knowing, including hiding parts of our ancestral practices and cultural knowledge. However, in order to offer decolonized therapeutic spaces, providers must be able to reclaim and embody liberated ways of knowing in their approach, including within the field of psychology itself. In this offering, presenters will explore how training in Chicana/o/x Affirmative Therapy with the Institute of Chicana/o/x Psychology and Community Wellness has impacted them, the way they approach and engage in therapy with their communities, and how participating in the training has reinforced a decolonized approach to not only center culture in practice, but also shifted their understanding of how knowledge can be shared within community and in the greater field of psychology, and helped them heal their experiences of professional “susto.” 

Presenters will also discuss how centering a decolonized culturally-centered practice can honor one’s inherent knowledge and skill set, and will highlight that a truly decolonized approach recognizes the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing, not just as relevant cultural beliefs, but as knowledge systems that are valid. Different aspects of the Chicana/o/x Affirmative Therapy training will also be explored, including the ways that the approach was integrated into the current therapy practices of the presenters, how it impacted the presenters in distinct ways, their understanding of the therapeutic process, and of psychology in general. 

Given the necessity of building collective spaces of learning, like that offered by the Institute, presenters will reflect on the importance of cultural havens of safety and support that also decolonize how knowledge is shared within a learning community. Through interaction and plática, participants will be encouraged to join presenters in exploring and identifying areas where they can honor culturally-centered knowledge and incorporate indigenous wisdom into their current practice within a decolonized approach that emphasizes the reclaiming of indigenous and cultural practices. Presenters hope that participants will gain an understanding of how training in Chicana/o/x Affirmative Therapy can impact one’s approach, how distinct it is both in practice and the way it’s shared and cultivated, and how approaches like these are therapeutic and healing not just for our clients and communities, but for providers as well.

Details about our plática:

• Date/Time:

  • Virtual Gathering (Zoom)

  • Saturday, Nov 16, 2024, 9:00AM - 11:30AM PST, 2.5hrs

• Fee:

  • $40 for clinicians

  • $20 community members

  • $15 students

    • 25% profits donated to the Institute

      • Venmo: @Jessica-Dominguez-14, please include your email in the comment so we can email you the link to our plática & your certificate

      • Zelle: 510-459-9364, please text your email to the same number so we can email you the link to our plática & your certificate

      • PayPal: http://paypal.me/waywardcurandera, please include your name & email in the comment field so we can email you the link & your certificate