
Social Justice Education
I work with individuals, teams and organizations to deepen their social justice impact through evidence-based social justice education supported by my training as a therapist. Social justice education provides the opportunity for us to examine the historical, social, political, racial and other systemic inequities that create systemic oppression, while we examine our own individual experiences within these systems.
who i work with
I support people who want to deepen their social justice impact by engaging in the emotional work it requires – without being alone in shame, overwhelm or fear.
My clients come to me feeling stuck.
Despite being dedicated to social change and anti-oppression, this work is hard. When they first schedule with me, they often feel like they’re not moving forward in the racial justice or anti-oppression work they want to be doing. They feel like they’re not being productive or taking enough action. They feel like they don’t know enough.
They aren’t sure where to turn, and feelings of overwhelm and anxiety are at an all time high. They’ve tried participating in training and workshops, either individually or as an organization, but things don’t seem to be changing. They wonder if they’re the only one that feels this way.
Their shame and anxiety engaging in difficult conversations gets in the way of the life they want to lead. They aren’t the kind of friend, family member, coworker or manager they want to be.
They feel like they’re failing at
their deepest values of inclusion,
equity and accountability.
Before coming to see me, they were certain that this would be the same type of consulting they’d done in the past. They worried that the groups wouldn’t be effective. And they were pretty certain that the shame would never go away.
Like my clients, you are worthy of being held with unconditional acceptance as you build the resilience to engage in essential conversations about oppression, power and privilege. To show up authentically, compassionately and with accountability in social justice work is not out of your reach. If you want to deepen your social justice impact, develop shame resilience, and align with your deepest values, I’d love to help you get there.
services
one-on-one consultation
One-on-one consultations begin at $200.
Please contact me to discuss consultation packages.
Through one-on-one consultation, my clients have space and safety to examine what’s coming up for them. They have room to speak truth to thoughts, feelings and actions that feel shameful, and receive guidance on ways to move forward.
Often, conversations about power, privilege and race are complex. Unfortunately a lot of learning we do as white-bodied people unintentionally happens at the expense of people of color. As a white-bodied person, I believe in the power and necessity of supporting other white people engaging in this work. I have extensive education and training in intergroup dialogue, white identity development and colorblind racial ideology, and my work is supported by the experience of deep personal exploration of my own identities over the last 15 years. I love supporting other white-bodied people to heal their own internalized racism, deepen their anti-racism practice and show up more justly in the world.
“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.”
Facilitated Dialogue Groups
I run dialogue affinity groups focused on race and racism for white-bodied people, and also collaborate with BIPOC facilitators to co-run intergroup dialogues. The threads of healing and compassion are woven into my work as a facilitator. I create a space of relational safety and acceptance where all participants have an opportunity to reflect, engage and learn how to participate in meaningful dialogue for change.
I’m trained in both intergroup dialogue and interpersonal neurobiology. This creates a foundation for participants to take part in creating a supportive, compassionate and emotionally resilient community with others who are seeking ways to interrupt white supremacy. Group participants take part in learning:
- The history of whiteness and racism in the United States
- What internalized domination feels like in the body, and the thoughts and actions connected to those feelings
- The differences between shame and guilt, and the stages of shame resilience
- How to practice and apply self-compassion
- Anti-racist actions they can take in their everyday lives
Throughout our sessions, participants have an opportunity to share their own stories while they learn and practice the core elements of dialogue: creating shared meaning, listening in order to understand, finding common ground, curiosity, and returning to shared meaning when safety is threatened.
Sessions typically take place weekly over a period of two to three months. Groups are limited in size to facilitate meaningful exchange and personal impact.
Testimonials
”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.”
social justice curriculum design
I offer custom-designed curricula to help you, your team, or members of your group or organization understand your experiences and beliefs in the context of systemic oppression. Together, we co-design a custom social justice curriculum suited to the needs of your organization.
My curricula are meant to offer sustainable anti-racist and social justice practices. Curricula are evidence-based and use the latest science in interpersonal neurobiology and learning theory to create effective and lasting change for participants. My curriculum designs all include:
- Scaffolding of information where each week intentionally builds on the next
- An effective union of embodied process and content
- Emphasis on building trust and relational safety- Skill-learning and practice
- History for context
- 16 hours or 8 week design

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