As we are into a renewal year, the Master Clinician Lecture Series will be hosting a series of 4 workshops that together will provide the 3 ethics and 3 cultural competency CEs that are required for social workers. A series within a series! I will be taking the lead for first two, which will address the topic of Psychotherapy and Oppression.

The first, on March 13th (1.5 ethics CEs), will have us tackling the question of our responsibility as a profession (and I include all professions that practice psychotherapy in that, though my perspective comes out of social work) to consider the role that psychotherapy plays in larger social structures. What does the social construct of “psychotherapy” do? How does it contribute to, or challenge, questions of power, politics, and injustice? Does psychotherapy maintain systems of oppression and maintain the status quo? We’ll peek a bit back into the history of activism within social work, but the focus will be on what our responsibility is today. For this half we will focus on the macro aspect of psychotherapy and oppression, drawing from Freire, Bordieu, hooks, and Foucault, as well as feminist theory generally.

The second, on April 10th (1.5 cultural competence CEs), will have us looking more toward the micro aspect, considering how we recreate structures of oppression within one-on-one interactions. We’ll look at larger political events and what they can look like when incorporated into clinical work, as well as power and politics as they play out in session. We will draw on much of the larger theoretical framework laid out in the first half, so I encourage you to attend the first one if you intend to attend the second.

As usual, the cost is $15 per session, CEs are included in the cost. While it probably makes most sense to attend both, it isn’t necessary. Please contact me to reserve a spot, and when you do, let me know whether you would like to come to both.

What: Psychotherapy and Oppression
When: March 13 and April 10th, 10:00-11:30
Where: Gifted Learning Center ~ North Shore