Ethics of Trauma, Marginalization, and Social Determinants of Health

Social Determinants of Health, Marginalization, & Trauma:

Intersecting Factors in Ethical Mental Health Treatment

This 6-hour workshop discusses how to conceptualize mental health treatment for culturally diverse individuals who have historically been marginalized. Research shows that culturally marginalized populations suffer disproportionally from a range of health disparities and psychosocial stressors that contribute to and exacerbate their mental health presentations. This workshop will be helpful not only for mental health practitioners who have never realized that improvements were needed in their client conceptualization, but also for clinicians who understand there is a need but still struggle to grasp the true range and impact of these stressors, thus commensurately grapple with how to account for and more effectively work with the mental health concerns of diverse clients. This workshop will cover the following as relates to mental health presentation and treatment:

1. Clarify implicit bias and its clinical impact.
2. Review Critical Race Theory & Social Determinants of Health.
3. Clarify the development of a Cross-Culturally Responsive-Practice Mindset.
4. Analyze key factors in diversity-based stress injury & trauma.
5. Prepare for conversations about racial differences and marginalization.
6. List considerations for working with diverse populations.
7. Discuss responding to microaggressions in session.
8. Describe components for feedback-informed treatment.

In addition to a review of applicable portions of the ACA, MFT, APA, and NASW codes of ethics, the 2016 Multicultural & Social Justice Counseling Competencies and the Multicultural Orientation Framework will be incorporated and applied through hands-on case studies and discussions.

Schedule for the Day

9:30 - 11:00 am - Session 1

11:00 - 11:15 am - Break

11:15 - 1:00 pm - Session 2

1:00 - 2:00 pm - Lunch

2:00 - 3:30 pm - Session 4

3:30 - 3:45 pm - Break

3:45 - 5:00 pm - Session 4

A BOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Sonja A. Sutherland is the Founder and Chief Clinical Training Officer for Legacy Changers Training Institute for Mental Health Equity & Justice.

Dr. Sutherland is a Clinical Associate Professor at Adam State University. Before beginning her tenure there, Dr. Sutherland served at Richmont as an Associate Professor, the Dean of Assessment, Planning, and Accreditation overseeing programmatic and institutional accreditation, and was the Inaugural Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. She also served as a Core Faculty member at Walden University.

She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Georgia, a Board Certified Telemental Health Counselor (BC-TMH), and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). Dr. Sutherland is also a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Association for Multicultural Counseling & Development (AMCD), the Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors (ACES), and the Licensed Professional Counselor Association of Georgia (LPCA-GA). Dr. Sutherland earned her Ph.D. (Counselor Education and Supervision) from Regent University, Masters of Science (Professional Counseling) from Georgia State University, and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from New York University.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Cuban and Jamaican immigrants, Dr. Sutherland is the founder and CEO of Legacy Changers Worldwide, an organization dedicated to providing family education and mental and emotional wellness resources. The Legacy Changers Worldwide umbrella has provided support through the Legacy Changers Counseling Center, The Family Healing Room, and previously through Dr. Sutherland's hosting of a local Atlanta talk-radio show focusing on family relationships and mental wellness. In addition, Dr. Sutherland provides intermediate and advanced continuing education workshops and post-masters supervision through Legacy Professional Development & Training.

Experience

In the mental health field since 1998, and licensed since 2001, Dr. Sutherland has provided therapeutic services in private practice, psychiatric residential, in-home, and outpatient mental health settings, for adolescents and adults, through individual, group, couples, and family therapy. She has specialized in working with adolescents, couples, and families for the last 25+ years. One of Dr. Sutherland’s historical research interests has been evidence-based treatment within residential settings for commercially sexually exploited youth, which was a primary focus of her clinical expertise during her years as a clinician in the psychiatric residential setting. Her ongoing research interests include clinician-in-training cultural competence development and clinical supervision. Within the last 10 years, Dr. Sutherland has provided training, researched, and published in the areas of racial trauma, cultural competence development and training, the provision of culturally-informed clinical intervention and supervision, and social justice advocacy. Dr. Sutherland’s primary clinical practice currently centers on providing clinical supervision services to post-masters clinicians pursuing licensure.

During her years in the field, Dr. Sutherland has also served as a Director of Mental Health and Clinical Services for mid – large-sized outpatient mental health organizations providing therapeutic intervention in the Cobb, Atlanta, and Stone Mountain areas. In this capacity, Dr. Sutherland provided strategic and financial direction, administrative oversight, and accountability for clinical service provision, as well as clinical supervision for mental health professionals providing services to the community at large.

During the last 35 years, Dr. Sutherland has served as a guest lecturer, trainer, and presenter for various organizations including PESI, Kaiser, ESPYR, Telehealth Certification Institute, the Georgia Psychological Association, and many others. She has presented regionally and nationally at professional counseling associations such as ACA, ACES, SACES, ASERVIC, CAPS, GCCA, AMHCA, and LPCAGA. Additionally, she has worked with social, civic, educational, and clinical organizations such as the University of Georgia, the Foster Families Treatment Association, the Woman’s Missionary Union of New York, the Women’s Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Office for School Counselor Advocacy, Elite Women of Excellence, local churches, and various mental health agencies.