Relational Privilege and Systemic Trauma: Confronting Race and Sex Discrimination in Couples Work

AKILAH RILEY-RICHARDSON, MSW, CCTP

Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP is a published researcher, Relational Healing Facilitator, couples therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She has been in clinical practice for sixteen years and has experience working with couples and persons practicing consensual non monogamy, both in the Caribbean and internationally. Akilah also specialises in work with sexual minorities and racial minorities. As an educator and facilitator, she has provided consultancy services to organizations such as NASTAD (National Alliance for State and Territorial AIDS directors), the Relational Life Institute, I-TECH (International Training and Education Center for Health)  and CVC (Caribbean Vulnerable Communities). She has presented in various spaces including the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium and the Black Mental health Symposium. She has been a Social Work Educator at the University of the Southern Caribbean since 2012.  She is the founder of the BIPOC Relational Healing Institute and creator of the P.R.I.D.E model.

In this training you will be able to:

1. Name and Detail the Components of Intimacy as Relational Privilege
2. Understand the impact of race and sex discrimination on the relational dynamics of minoritised groups.
3. Integrate Liberation Psychology and Epistemological Hybridism into couple swork, namely RLT.

4. Help couples to realize their forms of negative dyadic coping as a response to minority stress.
5. Help couples to learn skills to create positive dyadic coping (supportive and common relational coping) and ethical relationality.
6. Build praxis and critical consciousness amongst practitioners.
7. Help couples to connect positive dyadic coping and ethical relationality to societal and political transformation.

Session One- Understanding the Foundation of Work with Minorities

Overview- Therapy with marginalized couples cannot simply mirror work done with other couples who benefit from various forms of privilege. This work requires an acknowledgment of the inequalities and the relational dynamics of marginalized couples. In this session, we will address the critical underpinnings that shape work with racial and sexual minorities, and discuss the various forms and manifestations of systemic trauma that are experienced by couples.

Session Content

Session Two- Intimacy as a Relational Privilege (Assessment pt 1)

Overview- Minority groups are often denied life experiences that will allow them to develop safe, intimate relationships with their partners. For these groups, intimacy is not often experienced as a birthright, but as a privilege. In this session, we will examine “Relational Privilege” as a tool for assessing the health of the relationship, and outline the other assessment frames, which can give us some insight into the degree of relational privilege held by the couple, as well as direction for designing the intervention.

Session Content

1. Using the Relational Privilege Wheel
2. Managing and outing the therapist’s relational privilege
3. Using Frames One to Three for assessing the impact of systemic trauma
4. Assessing the Couple’s Dyadic Coping and Relational Privilege using Frames One to Three
5. Integrating epistemological hybridism into the assessment process
6. Practicing “Epistemic Embracing” during the assessment

Session Three- Intimacy as a Relational Privilege (Assessment Pt 2)

Overview-The purpose of this session is to examine Frames 4 to 6 and their role in assessing Relational Privilege and the impact of Systemic Trauma. In this session, we will also examine how to co-construct leverage with the couple.

Session Content

1. Using Frames 4 to 6 to understand the impact of systemic trauma
2. Co-constructing leverage with clients as an enactment of political and relational empowerment.
3. Using an Interpersonal and Relational Orientation to engage in Carefrontation
4. Teaching Responsible externalizing (interweaving critical consciousness and I-thou consciousness)
5. Setting the stage for relational and radical Change
6. Practicing “Epistemic embracing” during the assessment

Session Four- Treating the Couple’s Systemic Trauma

Overview-In this session, we will examine three methods of engaging in trauma work to treat the couple’s experience of systemic trauma. This is necessary before teaching skills for healthy relationally.

Session Content

1. Using the ICN (Intergenerational Compassionate Network) in Trauma Work
2. Integrating the SOMOS model into RLT Trauma Work
3. Unblending the Adaptive Parts to Systemic Trauma
4. Developing Relational Healing Circles

Session Five- Building Relational Privilege

Overview- In this session, we will examine key skills that can help a marginalized couple to build Relational Privilege and undo the impact of systemic trauma. This session uses some of the skills in Relational Life Therapy, which have been expanded and adapted for BIPOC couples and sexual minorities.

Relational Privilege and Systemic Trauma – Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP – Agenda

September 21, 2022 – Session One- Understanding the Foundation of Work with Minorities

12 noon to 12.10 Understanding Clinical Racism/Marginalization, Liberation Psychology, and Epistemological Hybridism

12.10pm to 12.20- Building Liberation Psychology and Epistemological Hybridism into clinical work and RLT

Epistemological Hybridism with Participants

September 28, 2022 – Session Two- Intimacy as a Relational Privilege (Assessment pt 1)

12.45pm to 1pm- Questions from Participants and Practicing Epistemic Embracing and Epistemological Hybridism with Participants

October 12, 2022 – Session Three- Intimacy as a Relational Privilege (Assessment pt 2)

12noon to 12.20pm- Using Frames 4 to 6 to understand the impact of systemic trauma 12.20pm to 12.30pm-Using an Interpersonal and Relational Orientation to engage in

Empowerment (setting the stage for relational and radical change) 12.45pm to 1pm- Questions from Participants and Practicing Epistemological Hybridism and

Epistemic Embracing with Participants.

October 19, 2022 – Session Four- Treating the Couple’s Systemic Trauma

12 noon to 12.10-Using the ICN (Intergenerational Compassionate Network) in Trauma Work

October 26, 2022 – Session Five- Building Relational Privilege

12pm to 12.15pm- “Supportive and Common Relational Coping”(five winning strategies) and “Ethical Relationality”

12.15pm to 12.20pm- “Identity Cherishing” and “Interpersonal Cherishing”.

12.20pm to 12.30pm- Building from within-personal resilience, relational resilience and group resilience.

1. Name the various types of trauma experienced by sex, gender and racial minorities
2. Question their role as perpetrators of clinical racism and clinical marginalization
3. Define Relational Privilege
4. Measure the degree of Relational Privilege held by couples
5. Conduct an assessment using the six frames. (These six which examine the impact of systemic trauma on minoritised couples)
6. Apply epistemological hybridism and epistemic embracing to the assessment process
7. Apply critical consciousness throughout their assessment and intervention with clients
8. Integrate the Intergenerational Compassionate Network into Trauma Work with minoritised couples
9. Integrate the SOMOS model into Trauma Work with minoritised couples
10. Identify the role of race, sex and gender stereotypes in partner’s understanding of each other (CNI)
11. Discuss with clients how to develop boundaries and a cherishing culture to treat with the impact of systemic marginalization
12. Explain the Five Winning Strategies and their role in treating the impact of systemic marginalization
13. Teach clients how to practice the five winning strategies
14. Define the critical components of Relational Healing Circles
15. Design a template for a Relational Healing Circle
16. Prescribe ways to help couples move from Negative Dyadic Coping to Supportive and Common Relational Coping

Mental Health Professionals including Psychologists, Social Workers, LPCs, and LMFTs.

Evaluations

A course evaluation is required to obtain the CEs.  An email will be sent to each participant after the conclusion of the course with instructions on how to complete the evaluation and obtain the CE Certificate.

Deep Eddy Psychotherapy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Deep Eddy Psychotherapy maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.

Continuing Education credits offered by Deep Eddy Psychotherapy:

5.0 Credits for Psychologists

5.0 Credits for Social Workers in Texas (Sponsor # 7082),

5.0 Credits for LPCs in Texas (Sponsor # 2690)

5.0 Credits for LMFT in Texas (Sponsor # 1113)

Most states accept continuing education courses offered by CE Sponsors (which Deep Eddy is) for APA credits. Check with your governing board to obtain a final ruling.

This course is $297. You can purchase it here.

If you for some reason are not satisfied with the course you have 7 days from the first live call or from your purchase date to request a cancellation and a refund. Please refer to the policy section for details on how to cancel.