Trauma and Racism and the Power of the Healing Trauma Narrative

Presentation Description: The African American experience is often isolated from the experiences of other traumatized communities. This discussion attempts to shift the conversations around health issues in the black community from a focus on 'blackness or African American-ness' to the global impactors of health such as trauma, acculturation stress,  and complex post traumatic stress. This talk will also discuss the impact of these issues on the individual, family and community, with a view to improving our understanding of our own trauma response, as well as the multilayered struggles of our African American patients.  Lastly this talk will discuss trauma narrative therapy and it's important role in healing us as a community. At the end of the talk it is my hope that we will be better able to understand and accept our need for mental health care and to be able to discuss these issues in ways that are helpful…