BIPOC Discussion and Support Group, for BIPOC people by BIPOC people.
Topics we hope to cover:
- How are we living, thriving, and connecting in a COVID-19 world?
- Micro-aggressions: how are we celebrating ourselves and handling bias?
- Who has time for imposter syndrome
The intention of the BIPOC Decompression group is to provide space for discussions about how white supremacy and racism affect the well-being, mental health, and interpersonal relationships of BIPOC students (grad & undergrad) at Southern. This therapeutic support group was developed within a series of conversations with BIPOC students who raised awareness of how the current political and social environment was impacting their relationships with themselves, their romantic partners, and their friends and families.
The group is facilitated by BIPOC faculty and advanced BIPOC clinical students, with support from additional MFT faculty. Because mental health clinicians and supervisors are facilitating these discussions, the group is considered group therapy and participants are clients of the MFT clinic. We understand that participating in therapy is stigmatizing for some people. Our hope is to challenge the notion that utilizing mental health supports means that “something is wrong with you”. As systems thinkers we see this differently: Something is wrong with the larger system(s) that continues to unjustly oppress, dominate and micro-aggress. Individuals, couples, and families deserve mental health supports that help them recognize these forces and locate the problem within those systems. This group will focus on identifying and lessening domination and navigating personal/professional interactions within these oppressive systems. We believe this kind of therapy to be community-building, liberating, celebratory, and a source of strength.
Future Dates coming Soon