Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy: Building Relational Privilege

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.

Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy Building Relational Privilege with Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP

Drawing on frameworks such as Liberation Psychology, Epistemological Hybridism, Minority stress theory and the Relational Justice Approach for couples therapy, this course examines the impact of racism, queerphobia, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia on marginalized/minoritized couples and partnerships. It analyzes the ways in which systemic oppression affects the capacity of marginalized people to form healthy, wholehearted, and intimate relationships. Using the P.R.I.D.E approach (Pivoting, Rumbling, Imagining, Developing and Evolving), different strategies for addressing partners’ and couples’ experience of systemic oppression are taught. Techniques for assisting them to form healthy bonds and liberatory connections within the very difficult context of race and sex discrimination are also thoroughly explored.

This course embodies the philosophy of epistemological hybridism, and as such, at the end of each session, the floor will be open for participants to share their epistemologies and ideas about the course material. True education can only happen if we allow the voices of participants, especially those of marginalized people, to be heard.  Two Allyship sessions entitled “Allyship is a Verb” will also be held so that persons who occupy privileged statuses in our world can explore the ways in which they can show up as allies in their clinical practice and daily lives. These Allyship sessions will be held on May 16th and June 6th.

Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy – Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP – Agenda

Live Session 1 via Zoom – May 11, 2023 at 8am-9:30pm PDT – Understanding the Foundation of Work with Minorities, and the P.R.I.D.E Model – 1.5 CEs

Overview- Therapy with marginalized couples and partnerships cannot simply mirror work done with other clients 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 sex minorities, and discuss the various forms and manifestations of systemic trauma that are experienced by these couples and partnerships. We will also begin to understand the critical role that the P.R.I.D.E (Pivoting, Rumbling, Imagining, Developing and Evolving) approach can play in liberatory work with marginalized people.

Session Content

1. Understanding how we can practice/integrate Liberation psychology and epistemological hybridism into the work (15 minutes)
2. Exploring the various types of trauma experienced by racial and sex minorities (20 minutes)
3. Examining the ways in which therapists can possibly be perpetrators of “clinical marginalization” and clinical racism (10 minutes)
4. Detailing how to undo “clinical marginalization” via the P.R.I.D.E model (20 minutes)
5. Overview of the four phases of the work with marginalized couples and partnerships (5 minutes)
6. Epistemological Hybridism- Reflection with participants/Question and Answer (20 minutes)

Live Session 2 via Zoom – May 18, 2023 at 8am-9:30pm PDT – Relational Interrogation- Assessing the degree of Relational Privilege and the Impact of Systemic Harm Part 1 – 1.5 CEs

Overview- Minoritized groups are often denied life experiences that will allow them to develop safe, intimate relationships with their partners. In fact, injustice that is experienced outside of the relationship can show up in many ways within their own relationships. For marginalized couples and partners, intimacy is not often experienced as a birthright, but as an elusive privilege. In this session, we will introduce and examine the concept of “Relational Privilege”.  Additionally, we will discuss six assessment frames, which can give us some insight into the degree of relational privilege held by the couple.  The first three frames will be explored thoroughly in this Session.

Session Content

1. Exploring the components of the Relational Privilege Wheel (15 minutes)
2. Managing and outing the therapist’s own relational privilege (10 minutes)
3. Examining the idea of Relational Injustice (10 minutes)
4. Using Frames One to Three for assessing the impact of systemic trauma on the couple’s/partners’ dynamics (30 minutes)
5. Integrating epistemological hybridism and epistemic embracing into the assessment process (10 minutes)
6. Epistemological Hybridism- Reflection with participants/ Question and Answer (15 minutes)

Allyship is a Verb (Session for Allies) hosted by Terri Delaney

Live Session 3 via Zoom – May 25, 2023 at 8am-9:30pm PDT – Relational Interrogation Part 2 and Responsible Externalizing – 1.5 CEs

Overview-The purpose of this session is to examine Frames Four to Six and their role in assessing Relational Privilege and the impact of Systemic Trauma on connection and intimacy. In this session, we will also explore how to help couples and partners connect their microdynamics to wider systemic change, and to use this as a source of motivation for their own transformation. The concept of Responsible Externalizing as a critical tool in assisting couples to begin releasing the burden of systemic trauma on their relationships will also be discussed.

Session Content

1. Using and Implementing Frames Four to Six to understand the impact of systemic trauma on the couple (20 minutes)
2. Co-constructing motivation with clients as an enactment of political and relational empowerment- From Micro to Macro (10 minutes)
3. Teaching Responsible externalizing (interweaving critical consciousness and I-thou consciousness) (30 minutes)
4. Practicing “Epistemic embracing” during the assessment (10 minutes)
5. Epistemological Hybridism-Reflection/ Question and Answer (20 minutes)

Live Session 4 via Zoom – June 1, 2023 at 8am-9:30pm PDT – Treating the Trauma and Building Liberatory Connections and Intimacy (LCI) Part 1 – 1.5 CEs

Overview- In this session, we will examine three methods of trauma work to treat the couple’s experience of systemic harm. Because systemic harm never ends, there is a need to do continuous trauma work with the couple and partners. We will also begin to explore three of the seven frames for helping clients to build healthy relationships, otherwise known as Liberatory Connections and Intimacy (LCI)

Session Content

1. Using the ICN (Intergenerational Compassionate Network) in Trauma Work (20 minutes)
2. Integrating the SOMOS model in Trauma work (15 minutes)
3. Developing Relational Healing Circles (10 minutes)
4. Defining the concepts of Supportive & Common Dyadic Coping and defining Liberatory Connections and Intimacy (5 minutes)
5. Building Relational Privilege and LCI (Strategies one to three). These strategies are “Identity and Interpersonal cherishing”, “Boundaries Within and Around” and “Decolonizing the Relationship” (20 minutes)
6. Epistemological Hybridism- Reflection/Question and Answer (20 minutes)

Allyship is a Verb (Session 2 for Allies) hosted by Terri Delaney

Live Session 5 via Zoom – June 8, 2023 at 8am-9:30pm PDT – Building Liberatory Connections and Intimacy, Developing Relational Privilege Part 2 – 1.5 CEs

Overview- In this session, we will examine Strategies Four to Seven that can help marginalized couples and partners to deepen their intimacy in the face of systemic oppression. We will also discuss and practice the process of Relational Declarations.

Session Content

1. Examining Strategies Four to Seven as tools to build healthy intimacy. These strategies are “Halting the Dance of the Stereotypes”, “Relational Imagination”, “Direct Requests” and “Building Relational Resilience”. (45 minutes)
2. Making Relational Declarations (15 minutes)
3. Epistemological Hybridism-Reflection/Question and Answer (30 minutes)

Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy
Learning Objectives

Live Session 1

1. Name the various types of traumas experienced by sex, gender and racial minorities.
2. Question their role as perpetrators of clinical racism and clinical marginalization.
3. Name the Four Phases of the work when working with marginalized couples and partnership
4. Apply Liberation Psychology to their practice

Live Session 2

1. Define Relational Privilege
2. Measure the degree of Relational Privilege held by couples
3. Conduct an assessment using the six frames of Relational Interrogation. (These six frames examine the impact of systemic trauma on minoritized couples)

Live Session 3

1. Conduct an assessment using the six frames of Relational Interrogation. (These six frames examine the impact of systemic trauma on minoritized couples
2. Measure the degree of Relational Privilege held by couples
3. Apply epistemological hybridism and epistemic embracing to the assessment process-

Live Session 4

1. Integrate the Intergenerational Compassionate Network into Trauma Work with minoritized couples
2. Integrate the SOMOS model into Trauma Work with minoritized couples
3. Define the critical components of Relational Healing Circles
4. Design a template for a Relational Healing Circle

Live Session 5

1. Apply critical consciousness throughout their assessment and intervention with clients
2. Prescribe ways to help couples move from Negative Dyadic Coping to Supportive and Common Relational Coping
3. Implement at least two strategies for building Liberatory Connections and Relational Privilege with marginalized couples

Intermediate Mental Health Professionals.

To receive continuing education credit, applicants must complete all CE materials, comply with attendance regulations, and submit an evaluation form for the sessions attended.  It is the responsibility of the attendee to determine if CE credit offered by Academy of Therapy Wisdom meets the regulations of their state licensing/certification board.

Continuing Education credits offered:

Psychology: Not offered for this training.

Counseling: Not offered for this training.

Social Work: This program has been approved for a total of 1.5 hours per session for Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approving Program, Authorization Number D91779-1, D91779-2, D91779-3, D91779-4 and D91779-5.

Marriage/Family Therapy: See below for CAMFT information.

California Professionals:  Academy of Therapy Wisdom, Provider #1032323, is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, and LPCCs. Academy of Therapy Wisdom maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.  This course meets the qualifications for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit per session for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

This course is $247. You can purchase it here.

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