Foster Care Training

Many mental health clinicians that work with youth and families recognize the impact our experiences in school systems have on our overall well being. This workshop will explore how our socialization in schools, as practitioners, contributes to our belief system around authority and how our approach to interventions can impact our relationships with youth and families. We will discuss authority within the context of the #DefundThePolice movement which is currently advocating for the redistribution of resources to increase the presence of mental health clinicians in communities and schools across the globe. We will utilize videos and resources focusing on the adultification and push-out rates of Black girls within education to examine how we approach our work as clinicians when referrals for mental health services are made due to issues related to schooling. Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of what authoritative practices and approaches look like and how these approaches are often perpetuated through racism, prejudice, experiences within systems, and how we are taught to trust or distrust authority throughout our lives.