Responding to Microaggressions in Conversations with System-Involved Youth & Families

Kelsey Pacha, MA, M.Div.

Training Description

This training will assist providers in reflecting on their own power and privilege within their personal identities, while also considering the intersectional context of the system involved youth and families they support. Through personal assessment, group discussion, and multimedia, participants will define three types of microaggressions, explore examples through news and pop culture, and discuss how microaggressions are directed at a variety of different identity categories (i.e. race, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, etc.). Finally, through group activity and roleplay, participants will explore four possible responses to microaggressions and reflect on how their choice of response is related to their level of power & privilege. All examples given are within the context of working with caregivers, youth, & social services colleagues. Together, we will develop personal strategies to intervene when witnessing the perpetration of damaging messages and embody what it feels like to respond…