Working with Racial Trauma, part 2

Presenter: Louise F. Wheeler, Ph.D.

Date: November 12, 2026 | 7:00 PM MST

Format: Live, synchronous webinar | 1 hour

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Target Audience: Clinical Mental Health Providers

CE Credits: 1 CE credit

Certificates Available: ASWB/ACE, APA, THGI

Course Description

This course is the second part of the Working with Racial Trauma series and focuses on therapeutic interventions and strategies to best support individuals experiencing racial trauma. Building on the foundation of Part 1, which defined racial trauma and its impact on mental and physical health, Part 2 moves into clinical application: how to create a therapeutic environment that fosters support and empowerment, how principles of liberation psychology and multicultural competence can guide treatment, and which evidence-informed interventions best support clients navigating racial stress and trauma.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this training, attendees will be able to:

• Identify ways to create a therapeutic environment that fosters support and empowerment for individuals experiencing racial trauma.

• Apply principles of liberation psychology and multicultural competence to address symptoms of racial trauma.

• Identify therapeutic interventions that can best support individuals experiencing racial trauma.

Agenda

7:00 – 7:50 PM MST: Lecture and didactic instruction

7:50 – 8:00 PM MST: Live Q&A

All portions of this program are eligible for CE credit.

Limitations, Risks, & Benefits

This training presents a limited amount of information; clinicians who desire additional depth are encouraged to seek out supplemental resources and peer-reviewed literature on this topic. The training is delivered via an online platform, and there are no anticipated risks beyond those typically associated with online learning environments. Participants may encounter discomfort as they explore sensitive topics or are asked to challenge existing beliefs and practices. Some content is based on emerging research that has not yet reached full consensus in the peer-reviewed literature, and the evidence base may have limitations in generalizability across diverse populations, cultures, or practice settings. Content reflects information available at the time of development, and practitioners are encouraged to stay current with evolving research and regulatory standards. Benefits include an increased ability to understand the subject presented and apply this knowledge in professional practice, along with practical skills that build upon existing training. The training promotes compassionate, inclusive care, reduces discomfort when addressing topics related to diversity and cultural differences, and supports participants in maintaining and developing professional competencies to improve services to the public.

Cultural Sensitivity

This training explicitly addresses the influence of culture, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, language, and socioeconomic status, and helps participants recognize and examine their own unconscious biases. Case examples and discussion reflect diverse populations and lived experiences, and incorporate perspectives from communities directly impacted by racial trauma. The training addresses how systemic inequities, social determinants of health, and disparities in access to mental health services affect underserved and marginalized populations, and how implicit bias may affect clinical decision-making, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning. Participants will explore how to adapt evidence-based interventions to be culturally responsive, how multiple identity factors may compound experiences of discrimination and trauma, and how to provide affirming care using inclusive, non-stigmatizing language. Drawing on the NASW Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice, the training encourages reflection on how clinicians' own cultural backgrounds shape their practice and supports culturally humble, self-reflective practice consistent with ethical responsibilities for nondiscrimination and equitable service delivery.

Course Content

This training presents intermediate-level content that builds on Part 1 of the series and on participants' existing clinical knowledge and practical experience, delivered through lecture and didactic instruction with live Q&A. The session covers evidence-based intervention and treatment methods for racial trauma, including liberation psychology, radical healing frameworks, and race-informed adaptations of trauma-informed care, grounded in current peer-reviewed research.

Relevance

This training addresses content directly applicable to clinical practice, including assessment, intervention, and treatment planning, as well as nonclinical practice such as case management, advocacy, and community-based work. It builds upon foundational knowledge gained through a completed graduate-level degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or a related mental health field, and through doctoral training in psychology consistent with APA continuing education standards. For psychologists, the program focuses on the application of psychological intervention methods supported by credible empirical evidence in the contemporary peer-reviewed literature, and it addresses ethical responsibilities outlined in the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, alongside the NASW Code of Ethics, the AAMFT Code of Ethics, and the UMHCA Code of Ethics and relevant Utah licensing standards. Content addresses human behavior and the social environment, research and evidence-based practice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, work with specific populations, and trauma-informed care. The training is relevant to licensed social workers, psychologists, licensed professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

About the Presenter

Doctor Louise Wheeler is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and perinatal and parental mental health. She currently practices in Utah, where she is licensed, and across 42 other states through PSYPACT.

Doctor Wheeler received a bachelor's degree in psychology from l'Université de Provence in France and completed a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Brigham Young University. She has practiced across several settings, from community mental health centers and college counseling centers to private practice. Doctor Wheeler taught and trained college and graduate students for several years before opening her own practice and moving into exclusively providing clinical services. Her practice centers individual therapy while also emphasizing the essential nature of building stronger communities to improve mental health outcomes.

Course Details

Delivery method: Live webinar via the Institute learning platform

Course interactivity: Lecture and didactic instruction with live Q&A

Posttest/quiz: Because this is a live course, a standard posttest is not required. Participation will be monitored throughout the session.

Certificate issuance: Certificates of credit will be issued immediately after course completion to participants who attend the full session and complete the course evaluation.

Contact for questions: institute@thehealinggroup.com

Accessibility accommodations: To request accessibility accommodations, please contact institute@thehealinggroup.com prior to the event. We are committed to making our trainings accessible to all participants.

Commercial Support & Conflict of Interest Disclosure

No commercial entity has provided funding or support for this course. Louise F. Wheeler, Ph.D. has no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

ASWB ACE Statement:

The Healing Group Institute, provider number 2716, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 3/31/26 – 3/31/27. Social workers completing this course receive 1 continuing education credit.

APA Statement:

The Healing Group Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Healing Group Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Psychologists completing this course receive 1 CE credit.

AASECT Eligibility:

This training is not eligible for AASECT credit.

References

Acevedo-Polakovich, I. D., Beck, K. L., Hawks, E., & Ogdie, S. E. (2016). Toward a relevant psychology of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination: Linking science and practice to develop interventions that work in community settings. In A. N. Alvarez, C. T. H. Liang, & H. A. Neville (Eds.), The cost of racism for people of color: Contextualizing experiences of discrimination. American Psychological Association.

Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Perez-Chavez, J. G., & Salas, S. P. (2019). Healing ethno-racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities: Cultivating hope, resistance, and action. American Psychologist, 74(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000289

Comas-Díaz, L. (2016). Racial trauma recovery: A race-informed therapeutic approach to racial wounds. In A. N. Alvarez, C. T. H. Liang, & H. A. Neville (Eds.), The cost of racism for people of color: Contextualizing experiences of discrimination. American Psychological Association.

Comas-Díaz, L., & Torres Rivera, E. (Eds.). (2020). Liberation psychology: Theory, method, practice, and social justice. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000198-000

French, B. H., Lewis, J. A., Mosley, D. V., Adames, H. Y., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Chen, G. A., & Neville, H. A. (2020). Toward a psychological framework of radical healing in communities of color. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(1), 14–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019843506

Hall-Clark, B. N., Zabelski, S., Montanaro, E., Besse, S., & Cramer, R. J. (2024). Adapting trauma-informed interventions for racial trauma considerations: A training model. Practice Innovations, 9(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000222

Holmes, S. C., Zare, M., Haeny, A. M., & Williams, M. T. (2024). Racial stress, racial trauma, and evidence-based strategies for coping and empowerment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 20, 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-081122-020235

Kniffley, S., Crosby, S. D., Jones, K. V., Middleton, J., & Caine, A. (2024). Bridging the gap: Evaluating the efficacy of racial trauma therapy training for community mental health clinicians. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 16(2), 242–249. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001467

Mosley, D. V., Hargons, C. N., Meiller, C., Angyal, B., Wheeler, P., Davis, C., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2021). Critical consciousness of anti-Black racism: A practical model to prevent and resist racial trauma. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000430

Osman, M., Gran-Ruaz, S., Rios Maia da Silva, L., & Williams, M. T. (2025). Treating racial trauma: The methodology of a randomized controlled trial of the Healing Racial Trauma protocol. Behavioral Sciences, 15(7), 856. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15070856

Pieterse, A. L. (2018). Attending to racial trauma in clinical supervision: Enhancing client and supervisee outcomes. The Clinical Supervisor, 37(1), 204–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2018.1443304