Social Justice Education

”Participating in a group like this is a critical part of anti-racist learning:

it's where academic terminology and concepts get put into practice, and you encounter the implicit growth edges that offer opportunity for deep, lasting change. You can do some of this work on your own, or in other contexts- but it's hard to have the relational safety that's really called for, not to mention to manage the risk of unintentionally doing harm in your learning. Affinity groups are, in my opinion, a really solid way to do the necessary depth work in relationship to others -

- and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better facilitator than Julia.”

“It was wonderful.

She made a safe space and [is] a great facilitator. [I learned] instead of pushing down shame, to

dig into it and learn from it.”

"I was worried about judgment and saying the "right" things.

[The group process] was great! I felt safe and part of a community quickly! [I learned] one, I'm not alone in the shame and guilt.

Two, there are people to lean on and learn from."

“I really loved the idea of discussing social justice with other white clinicians

and I wanted to continue to challenge the shame that continued to be present.“

“I took away a deeper appreciation for the daily, ongoing nature

of this work and the importance for moving toward the moments that are shameful to share in community.”

“I had 2 consultations with Julia

because I was experiencing shame, embarrassment, fear, and wanted clarification. Julia allowed me to process the difficult feelings I was having, how to utilize empathy towards my guilt and shame. She would provide empathy to me when I was having difficulty providing that for myself. She would explain language to me that I didn't necessarily understand and that was helpful. She also gave me words of encouragement because this work was hard for me at times and

she provided that support for me. “

“White therapists should be required to do ongoing group work

around lifelong unlearning internalized racism. A group like this supports us in holding deeper awareness around our biases as well as around the traumatic impacts of white supremacy. It felt appropriate for any therapist with a genuine interest in this learning,

no matter their previous learning or experience.”

“I really appreciate the ability to have consultations after group if needed. I found those extremely helpful.”

“I learned a lot by listening

to others share their experiences navigating / unpacking whiteness. I would sometimes get curious about why my body would tense up / get activated in certain moments when others were speaking.

I felt safe to share my insights and experiences with the group members.”

“I was reminded that this work is on-going and that there isn't a finish line.

It helps to be part of a group as I unpack the layers of whiteness as it can be daunting at times.”

“My experience has been that white people (myself included)

land in / work through a lot of perspectives in our development as allies, some of which can lead to interpersonal challenges. I worried about potential friction if members of the group were in very different places, or leaning toward externalizing ways of managing stress. In practice, none of my concerns were realized. This particular group was very warm, safe, and insightful.

Whatever curation may have been done was clearly effective.”

“Process-wise [I gained] greater confidence in my ability to be an ally,

to raise challenging topics without crossing the line into doing harm, and to join with others in their process without taking up too much space. Some practice unpacking marginalized aspects of my own identity, which I tend to resist.

Content-wise, I appreciate the exploration of calling in versus calling out, in particular.”

DO IT!

It was enlightening and I found a way to discuss my shame and discuss racism.

“I had concerns about if I was the right fit -

Did I know too little, what if I say the wrong thing, I had a lot of anxiety joining the group as this was my first step into exploration of this type of work. I found the group to be warm and accepting.

It was community.”

“I've learned to release some of the guilt and shame

especially from previous experiencing where I took advantage of my white privilege and created unsafe spaces for others. I've also learned about how to take feedback from others, learn from that, and continue to grow. I've learned that I have more work to do but I'm

increasing my awareness and doing to work.”

“I would like people to know that you don't have to be in a specific place to join this group. This is a non-judgmental space to show empathy and to have open, honest, difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations but

it truly can be such a great gift if you put yourself fully into the experience.”