Since 2017, April has been recognized as Arab American Heritage month to honor and celebrate the rich culture of more than 3.5 million individuals living within the United States with Middle Eastern/North African roots. While this celebratory month only began in a few states, in April of 2021, Former President, Joe Biden, recognized Arab American Heritage Month at a National level. Emerge Psychology Group has partnered with Dr. Sarah Abboud and Noor to help educate and honor the history of this population through a research forum. With nearly 100,000 MENA (Middle Eastern/North African) in the state of IL, our presenters will be sharing research on the mental health, acculturation, and overall well-being of this population. From there, we will engage in a discussion centered on best multicultural practices as clinicians meanwhile enjoying food from a local Middle Eastern restaurant.

In 2023, approximately 7.6% of adults in America identified themselves as queer. Another 1.2%  as Trans. While it is suspected that that number is under-reported due to ongoing  stigmatization, this leads to an increased need for clinical competency in working with queer  and trans clients. To create and hold space for queer clients to further understand themselves,  we as clinicians, must work to ethically empower. This includes but is not limited to  understanding our unconscious biases, the role which medical institutions play in the care our  clients receive, as well as which theoretical approaches best support our client’s visions of  themselves. Through this workshop, we hope to provide an authentic, personal, and BIPOC  approach to working with queer and trans clients.

Building a safe enough therapeutic relationship with childhood trauma survivors is one of the most important aspects of trauma healing and integration. It aids in regulation, trauma processing, reducing dissociation, and managing shame. Our complex trauma survivor clients struggle deeply to know how to regulate themselves both on their own and in our dyadic relationship because of the harm they experienced at the hands of people who were supposed to care for them. As critical as building attachment safety is with our clients, it is also the most complicated part of treatment. Relationally injured clients both fear attachment and vulnerability, and long for it at the same time. They have built sophisticated defenses that make feeling safe fraught with complication. In this workshop, we will explore how to help build safety and regulation within our deeply injured clients.