Please join us for this important webinar, “Why We Need Social Justice in Behavioral Health: Understanding the Impacts of Systemic Racism on our Collective Mental Health”, led by Norman Kim, Ph.D. and Luis Lopez, M.A., M.S. on Tuesday, October 18 from 3pm-4pm.

Please note that this event requires preregistration. Please click here to register.

Capacity is limited, so please register soon.

Systemic racism has pervasive impacts on those suffering from mental health conditions as well as those engaged in trying to alleviate that suffering. People from marginalized and minoritized communities who are struggling also grapple with discrimination, racism, stigma and microaggressions, putting people from these communities at particularly high risk. The overarching social and historical contexts of systemic racism and discrimination within which mental health issues occur are crucial to enter into our conceptualization and treatments.

In addition, providers must recognize that, along with our program and service participants, we are affected by and reflective of the structures of the society in which we are immersed, structures which disproportionately disadvantage people from marginalized communities. As a starting point for centering the experiences of people from marginalized communities, we must look internally at the structures, axiomatic beliefs, and practices of our professions and challenge the presumptive universality of our understanding of how best to assess and treat these issues. We will explore structural, institutional and interpersonal manifestations of racism as well as discuss the importance of social justice approaches in behavioral health.

Norman H. Kim, PhD. Norman is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Center for Practice Innovation. and the co-founder of the Institute for Antiracism and Equity, a social justice focused consultancy. He completed his B.A. at Yale and his Ph.D. in Psychology at UCLA. His research and clinical interests include the social development of people with autism, the developmental course of bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. In conjunction Norman has developed an expertise in psychiatrically complex populations, and his primary areas of interest are the application of a transdiagnostic framework for eating disorders, taking an evolutionary approach to shame and anxiety, and minority mental health. He is a regular national and international speaker, educator, and passionate advocate with a particular focus on minority status and barriers to mental health care in marginalized communities. Most recently Norman was the Deputy Director of Ayana Therapy, a tech startup focused on providing culturally intelligent, adapted, and accessible care to marginalized communities, and was the co-founder of Reasons Eating Disorder Center.

Luis Lopez, M.A., M.S.,  is the Director of Special Projects at CPI & Coordinator for Fidelity and Best Practices at the ACT Institute. He has been at the New York State Psychiatric Institute since 2013. He is also a counselor, a trainer, a consultant, and a coach. He has a M.A. in counseling from New Jersey City University. He also has a M.S. in Administration for Metropolitan College (previously known as Audrey Cohen College.) Luis has been involved in the implementation, and sometimes, unique application, of Evidence Based Practices since 2003. Between 2003 and 2006, Luis was the ACT Team Leader for an ACT Team in Jamaica, Queens. Between 2006 and 2013, Luis was the Director of Training for a large human service agency in NYC. During this position, Luis led the implementation of recovery principles and 3 evidence-based practices – Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT), Wellness Self-Management (WSM), and Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP). Luis facilitated 100’s of training sessions and worked with dozens of programs throughout NYC. During this period, Luis consulted for the ACT Institute and provided support to a number of ACT Teams in Buffalo, Rochester, Long Island and Westchester. He provided guidance in implementing IDDT, harm reduction and recovery. In 2009 and 2010, Luis participated in the development of the FIT modules. He took part in 8 modules. Additionally, during this time, Luis was invited to national ACT conferences to present of IDDT and Motivational Interviewing. He presented in Chicago, Boston, and Huntington Beach. Luis has expertise in the areas of Trauma Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Dual Recovery, Group Dynamics, Cultural Humility, Stages of Change, Harm Reduction, WRAP, CBT, Wellness Self-Management, Social Justice Advocacy and the ACT Model. He has facilitated workshops in over 150 conferences nationally and in Canada. He has also conducted consultations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. He is member of the American Counseling Association and ACA-NY.