Start Date
16-10-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
16-10-2020 9:50 AM
Document Type
Presentation
Abstract
In this time of great racial unrest in American society, many Black students and professionals on campus are experiencing significant psychological trauma which can include feelings of: sadness, anger, irritability, emotional disconnection, problems concentrating, and diminished motivation triggered by the murder of George Floyd. Subsequent national racialized events and tensions have only increased these reactions. Black students and black professionals may be reporting emotional and physical exhaustion, feelings of not feeling safe (physically and emotionally), and a lingering anger and hopelessness, which has significant consequences for academic and career success. This is one of the most important social justice issues of our time. This presentation will increase awareness of the impact of this trauma as well as provide practical strategies for how to offer sustained, genuine support to black students and black professionals on campus. Additionally, specific strategies will be offered on how to engage in discussions around current events in supportive and respectful ways so as not to cause further psychological harm to Black students and Black professionals on campus who may be experiencing traumatic reactions.
Creative Commons License
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The Psychological Trauma of Black students and Black professionals on campus after the murder of George Floyd
In this time of great racial unrest in American society, many Black students and professionals on campus are experiencing significant psychological trauma which can include feelings of: sadness, anger, irritability, emotional disconnection, problems concentrating, and diminished motivation triggered by the murder of George Floyd. Subsequent national racialized events and tensions have only increased these reactions. Black students and black professionals may be reporting emotional and physical exhaustion, feelings of not feeling safe (physically and emotionally), and a lingering anger and hopelessness, which has significant consequences for academic and career success. This is one of the most important social justice issues of our time. This presentation will increase awareness of the impact of this trauma as well as provide practical strategies for how to offer sustained, genuine support to black students and black professionals on campus. Additionally, specific strategies will be offered on how to engage in discussions around current events in supportive and respectful ways so as not to cause further psychological harm to Black students and Black professionals on campus who may be experiencing traumatic reactions.
Speaker Information
Katherine Helm
Katherine M. Helm, PhD is a professor of psychology and director of Graduate Programs in Counseling at Lewis University where she teaches a wide range of graduate counseling courses in the clinical mental health counseling program. Dr. Helm’s scholarly contributions and publications are in the areas of individual and couples counseling, sexuality issues and education, counselor training and supervision, racial and multicultural issues in counseling, the treatment of trauma for sexual abuse, and pedagogy of multicultural courses. Dr. Helm has counseling and consultative experiences in psychiatric hospitals, community mental health, college counseling centers, and private practice settings.
Kristi Kelly
Kristi Kelly, Ed.D. is the chief diversity officer at Lewis University where she provides guidance on strategies that create an inclusive campus environment and multicultural programming that explores the history, victories, and challenges of marginalized groups for transformative change. Dr. Kelly’s experience in higher education includes developing, maintaining, and enhancing initiatives where advocating for access to quality education for all students and contributing to ones sense of belonging as well as creating a culture of care for students and employees are key priorities. Her research has focused on the experiences of black women, students, faculty and staff in the collegiate setting through the lens critical race theory and black feminist thought. In the community, she works with non-profit organizations by offering educational and leadership programs to youth and teens.
Tenille Allen
Tennille Nicole Allen, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of Sociology at Lewis University. She is also the director of Lewis’ African American Studies Program and the Ethnic and Cultural Studies Program. Her primary teaching and research interests are in the intersections of race, class, gender, identity, and place. She is the author of works on social networks, food inequalities, the sociological contributions of Zora Neale Hurston, as well as African American intimate relationships, and African American cultural and creative practices. Her current community-based participatory research projects focus on community memory and African American girls and women living in Joliet and Chicago as they understand and create resilient and resistive practices in their lives.