Creating Inspired Lives
As Asian American women working in the mental health field, we’ve observed biases around how health and “wellness” are defined and are withheld from those who lack the access, or don’t fit the mold of what is "ideal" in White Supremacy culture. Creating Inspired Lives is a collaborative effort between two Asian American female psychologists to begin decolonizing themselves and their communities of harmful definitions of being, reclaiming cultural practices of wellness, and redefining ideas of health that better fit the lived experiences of Asians and Asian Americans.
Presenting:
Race Based Stress/Trauma and Empowerment for Asian American Women
In our work as clinical psychologists, we saw the need to address intersections between race, gender, and mental health which led to the co-facilitation of a race-based stress/trauma and empowerment group for BIPOC Veterans. Since there have been limited opportunities for these conversations and spaces for radical healing for Asian American women, we felt called to bring this group to the Asian American community. We are so excited to embark on this journey and create community in service of radical healing with you.
What: Race Based Stress/Trauma and Empowerment (RBSTE) for Asian American Women group is a group program and community working towards radical healing of race-based stress/trauma for Asian American Women**
Why: Racism negatively impacts both physical and mental health. Unfortunately, many Asian|Asian American Women have experienced race-based stress in their lifetime. Additionally, research has shown incidents of day-to-day racism (i.e., microaggressions) can have a cumulative negative impact on one's overall stress and well-being.
In this group, we will explore topics such as: racism's impact on physical, relational, and mental health; power and white privilege; institutional/systemic racism and oppression; overt and covert racism; empowerment; resilience; and healing through community building and radical hope. We will also teach coping skills for managing the mental and physical impact of race-based stress and fostering empowerment.
Who: ** Asian women, inclusive of all self-identifying women, femmes, gender non-conforming, and LGBTQIA+ individuals of the Asian Diaspora and mixed race descent. The group will be capped at 10 participants to build cohesion and safety.
When: August 14 – October 23, 2021 (10 weeks)
Saturdays 0900 AM - 1000 AM PDT
About the Group
This group incorporates the pillars of Radical Healing (French, et al, 2020), which is rooted in social justice education activism. As described by French et al, radical healing is “grounded in health-promoting practices and transformation that integrates elements of liberation psychology, Black psychology, and intersectionality while drawing on Comas-Díaz’s (2007) concept of ethnopolitical psychology.”
You can listen to a podcast interview the Psychology of Radical Healing Collective did with The Psychologists Off the Clock that discusses this framework. They also co-wrote a blog series that you can read here.
Components of Radical Healing include increasing critical consciousness; developing cultural authenticity, self-knowledge, and embracing ancestral pride; emotional and social support through building community; increasing strength, resistance, and resilience.
You will walk away with:
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Increased critical consciousness
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Skills to cope with race-based strength, increasing strength (to resist oppression) and resilience
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Self-created meaning and purpose, and envisioned possibilities for being the person you want to be; tools to build the community / world you want to live in
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Course workbook that includes information and opportunities for deeper learning
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A private community for further conversation and relationship building
Session Structure
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Check in:
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General check in/discussion of current events
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Review of last session material
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Review of workbook activity
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Experiential Practice (can consist of mindfulness, somatic, movement related practices)
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Psychoeducation (there may be some pre-recorded video content as well)
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Discussion
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Closing and review of (optional) workbook assignment
Break Down of Each Week
Week One: Creating a Safe Space / Introductions
Week Two: Collective Consciousness
Week Three: Identity Development
Week Four: Responding to Overt Racism and Microaggressions
Week Five: Grief and Racism
Week Six: Validating and Depathologizing Impact of Race-Based Traumatic Experiences
Week Seven: Relationships & Community
Week Eight: Coping with Impact of Race-Based Traumatic Experiences
Week Nine: Resistance, Resilience and Empowerment
Week Ten: Celebration and Closing