Professional CEU Sessions
Session A
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Room One
Understanding the personal story of immigrants and the process of adaptation
Veronica Corona Barker, LPC-A, LCDC (Therapy Works)
Create consciousness and awareness of the effects of relocating from your birthplace. Understanding what we experience in our place of birth, our process of immigrating and starting in a new area has an impact on our mental health.
Objectives:
Participants will understand the impact and points of trauma associated with relocating from their home country.
Participants will identify how relocating to a new country can impact mental health and gain an understanding of grief and the magnification of issues associated with immigration.
Participants will learn skills to best serve and empower immigrant populations.
Room Two
Intergenerational and Transgenerational Trauma in the Hispanic Community
Ana Marcela Rodriguez, MS, LMFT (Therapy Works)
Diana Beltran, MSW, LCSW, PCIT, CPT (Therapy Works)
The Hispanic community has a rich cultural history that often gets overshadowed by the trauma experienced by its members. Intergenerational and transgenerational trauma, the process of passing down trauma from one generation to another, is prevalent in the Hispanic community. This is particularly true for issues such as domestic violence, machismo, and marianismo. The purpose of this presentation is to explore intergenerational and transgenerational trauma in the Hispanic community, with a focus on how it is passed down from one generation to the next, the impact it has on individuals, families, and communities, and therapeutic interventions that can help clients overcome the effects of this trauma.
Objectives:
Gain knowledge about intergenerational and transgenerational trauma
The impact it has on individuals, families, and children
Learn interventions to break cycles of trauma
Room Three (en español)
Hidden Neurological Symptoms: Understanding the Connections Between Environment and Psychological Symptoms in Patients
Jose Lopez (SMU)
Aaron Gallegos (Ever Flowing Health)
The presentation will cover both the medical and the mental health aspects of hidden environmental factors that can lead to neurological symptoms. Many times these environmental factors are not considered in the assessment phase of the client and by ignoring environmental factors client may continue to experience symptoms or not make the appropriate treatment progress. The presentation goal is to shed light into the environmental factors and why it is important to consider the factors when doing a holistic assessment.
Objectives:
To inform about the prevalence of environmental toxins and why they should be taken into account.
To define and explain these environmental toxins for further understanding.
To interconnect the environmental factors and neurological factors in individuals in order to address the interconnection.
Room Four
Ethics and Differences in Personal Values
Vanessa Valles, LCSW-S (A New Start Counseling)
We will discuss common ethical dilemmas and ways to manage personal values while working in the profession of social work.
Objectives:
Identify common ethical dilemmas.
Learn to identify personal values
Learn to manage counter transference in work
Room Five
A Bowen Family Systems Theory Perspective of the Latinx/e Marital Relationship: Exploring Marital Fusion
Federico Mendez, LMFT (Intimacy Counseling and Consulting)
Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) is a theoretical framework that provides an explanation of human functioning. This framework can help clinicians assess and treat relationship systems. While considering Hispanic/Latinx/e ethnic and cultural backgrounds, clinicians can incorporate BFST to inform their clinical approaches to address the concept of the family emotional process. Marital Fusion is a sub-concept in the family emotional process that can be explored within the Hispanic/Latinx/e clients that present for relationship therapy. This workshop will inform clinicians about the BFST framework to better illustrate a cohesive clinical approach grounded in scientific inquiry of the human emotional evolutionary process. This workshop will further offer explorations and clinical implications of BFST when working with Hispanic/Latinx/e relationships to identify, assess, and deconstruct the marital fusion concept that results in relationship systems.
Objectives:
To identify the Bowen Family Systems Theory concepts applicable in the relationship system when addressing relational issues
To evaluate what the implication of marital fusion has on the relationship system
To discuss clinical applications using Bowen Family Systems Theory to address marital fusion in Hispanic/Latinx/e relationships
Room Six
Gestalt Therapy and the Hispanic Community: More Than The Empty Chair!
Elizabeth Cruz, LCSW
This workshop on Gestalt therapy will introduce participants to the basic principles and concepts of Gestalt Therapy, focusing on their application in the Latine/x community. Learners will gain insights into the unique ways Gestalt Therapy can be utilized to address the specific needs and challenges faced by individuals within this community. Moreover, the session will explore the various benefits of employing Gestalt Therapy techniques, fostering personal awareness, self-expression, and stronger interpersonal relationships among members of the Latine/x community. The workshop promises to offer valuable information and practical tools for enhancing therapeutic practices and promoting overall well-being within this cultural context.
Objectives
Participants will be introduced to the basic principles and concepts of Gestalt therapy.
Participants will explore what it means to increase their personal awareness and self-expression and to be more present in their sessions.
Participants with understand how grounding themselves in Gestalt theory will increase their ability to communicate effectively and increase their relationship skills.
Room Seven
Providing Culturally Sensitive Trauma-Informed Care to Hispanic Students within the College System
Dalia Blell, MSW, LCSW-S (Dallas College)
Socorro Preciado, PhD, LPC-S (Dallas College)
Trauma results from “an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014, p. 7). Lipson et al. (2022) found that students of color were less likely than white students to access therapy. Furthermore, 56% of Hispanic young adults (18-25% y.o.) with serious mental health (SMI) received no treatment (SAMHSA, 2018, p. 41). Making counseling services accessible to college students can help students with issues such as anxiety and trauma while dealing with academic demands. At a time when so many students are feeling challenged, a more holistic and equity minded approach is needed to support student success. Adopting a trauma-informed approach on a college campus is no longer an option but a necessity (Paterson, 2019).
Objectives:
What is trauma, type of traumas, the prevalence of trauma, and its impact on development and educational attainment in higher educational setting.
Cultural considerations and trauma.
Trauma-informed practice and strategies and how they can be implemented in your role within the college setting.
On-campus and community resources.
