Conference Program

SUMMARY
Conventional wisdom distilled from Western psychology focuses on the emotional connectivity of individuals, couples and families as an indicator of their health and mental health. Nevertheless, perforations from oppressive forces seriously impact the development and security of their well-being. These lived experiences lacerate the emotional health and connectivity of all beings. Therapeutic attention to the mature and healthy development of relationships necessitates the process of naming insidious structures of power and disrupting oppressive forces that shape the spaces and places in which emotional connectivity develops and matures.

Introductions will be made at tables, followed by a community-building activity that graduate students will lead.

SUMMARY
Our panelists will present multiple lived experiences about being women of color in a system of coloniality. One panelist will share what it was like being one of the nine girls (“The Little Rock 9”) in Little Rock, Arkansas, who were denied access to school after Brown vs. Board of Education. Another panelist shares her personal journey being a Black person born and raised in Appalachia. Through a deep exploration of family and local history, the panelist discovered a profound sense of belonging that countered the erasive narrative of Appalachia as white. The ongoing mission is to empower others to find their own sense of belonging in spaces where those like them existed and persisted, often in spite of oppressive systems. Another panelist will share, through music, his experience as the grandson of a Holocaust survivor.

SUMMARY
The aim of this panel is to explore the transformative potential of decolonial frameworks and methods within the realms of mental health, art and education. Decolonization, as an ongoing process of challenging colonial legacies, power structures and knowledge systems, has gained increasing recognition in various fields. This panel seeks to bring together scholars, practitioners and artists who critically examine and offer alternative approaches to combat the pervasive colonial matrices of power and oppression along trajectories of patriarchy and white supremacy. Drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives, this panel seeks to engage in a rigorous and constructive dialogue on decolonial practices that disrupt dominant narratives and challenge oppressive systems and the status quo of white heteronormativity, as well as amplify marginalized voices. The panelists will explore how these decolonial approaches in mental health, art and education can foster inclusive and equitable spaces, promote healing, and empower individuals/families and communities.

SUMMARY
This presentation examines the historical impacts of coloniality on the education system. We will discuss the history of colonial education practices, as well as their impact on restricting educational accessibility to individuals in marginalized communities. The panelists will pull from their extensive knowledge and research regarding historical and current states of education to offer a deeper understanding of how individuals and collectives are unbanking education. Resources and pedagogies for educators and practitioners will be provided to encourage decoloniality in their daily works.

Social workers, therapists and counselors will be able to transfer their knowledge of decolonial education practices to better work with and advocate for their clients, students and community within various systems of education.

SUMMARY
We will discuss the disparity of access to special needs services by different populations and the negative impact not only for the child, but the family as a whole. Utilizing Special Education Law and IEPs information, we will share how to gain access to the fundamental services that special needs children require and are deserving of. There will also be reflections and dialogue through film and storytelling on the challenges an entire community is faced with when structural obstacles disrupt the path of healing for autistic and other special needs children.

SUMMARY
This panel follows the healing process of one panelist after she experienced a stroke at age 33. The presentation draws a connection from this anecdote to the broader lived experiences of challenges that living with disabilities brings, and paths for creative healing and living. This panel will also dismantle the negative images associated with various body types and explore the reclaiming of body positive imaging and creativity throughout the life cycle. Discussions will cover how fat patients receive less preventive care, are often prescribed diets (despite the proof of their inefficacy) and are viewed as “undesirable” patients. Furthermore, this panel defines the harms caused by medical weight-based discrimination and explores advocacy for weight neutrality and fat-affirming practices in medicine and beyond.

SUMMARY
In this panel, we will explore the lived experiences of youth impacted by DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The legal ramifications of the act continue to shift with changing political landscapes, and we will follow the panelists’ research and perspectives on education justice. The presentation highlights the importance of critical thinking and youth engagement in creating and maintaining equitable spaces in education. Through a decolonizing lens, the panelists will aim to empower educators and mental health professionals to apply justice-centered theory to their everyday praxis.

SUMMARY
This panel demonstrates how one organization, Tri County CMO, creates a race and gender equity space through incorporating principles of intersectionality and liberation-based healing. It offers ways in which leadership can create spaces for staff to engage in critical dialogues that encourage debate and reflection. Caucusing is used as a structure for addressing intersections of race and gender that create policy change. Lastly, specific data will be shared highlighting the multiple transformations of the agency.

SUMMARY
This presentation raises awareness of deafness as a disability through movement and encourages attendees to listen in different ways, whether it be from your ears, eyes, heart and/or spirit. Our society has a tendency of “urgency” and a fear of silence. This urgency and fear are oppressive to marginalized communities and/or those trying to decolonize the system.

SUMMARY
The aim of this panel is to decode the normalization of coloniality in education and mental health and present positions of epistemic disobedience or what is referred to in decolonial analysis as “fugitive” transformations.

SUMMARY
Ryan will present his art to demonstrate the healing benefit of the creative process while exploring relevant social justice themes. The artist, also an immigration attorney, uses mixed media artistic approaches to “tease out opacity and transparency in the experience of daily life around him” and in the larger socio-political landscape. Social workers, therapists and counselors will be able to explore current social justice themes through this mixed media presentation, observe what they see, and explore the visual world through their other senses.