Culturally Informed & Appropriate Peer Support

1. Culturally Informed & Appropriate Peer Support Presented by: Julianne Gale, MA, MAT, AAC, CPC

2. Introductions Introduce yourself in the chatbox with your name, location, and why you came to this webinar. Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

3. Introductions • A few polls to find out who is in the “room” • What is your role? • Where do you work? • How do you identify? • A little about me Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

4. Assumptions • No person/culture is any better (or any worse) than any other • No one was born an oppressor • Oppression exists …and impacts us all • Liberation is possible …and sometimes uncomfortable AND... We are in this together! Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

5. Healing Justice: Transitioning the Mental Health System… From: socializing people into functioning within an oppressive system To: helping people know themselves/their history, understand others, and find personal/community pathways to liberation Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

6. Not Just Victims: A Strengths-Based Approach to Culture • Rural culture: • We have a lot of practical skills • We know each other • We are connected to the land • Queer culture: • We show up for each other • We can think outside the box • We stand up for what’s right Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

7. Not Just Victims: A Strengths-Based Approach to Culture • Share in the chatbox! Tell us one culture that you belong to, and list some strengths that come from that culture. Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

8. Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support Not Just Victims: A Strengths-Based Approach to Culture • Jewish culture: • Great at debate • Show ourselves easily, hearts and minds • We take action • We are connected • Chinese culture: • Our families unify well in crisis • People know their roles • Excellent at reading nonverbal language • We are connected • Jews of color culture: • Good at bridging viewpoints • Deep compassion for many types of people and struggles, including ones that are not our own • Great organizers • Excellent at connection Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

9. Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support What about “privileged” cultures?Looking at Dominant Cultures • White Strengths • Assimilation skills • Many role models of people in power • Media images are generally positive • Middle Class Strengths • Showing up on time • Reading and replying to emails • Understanding and following rules • White Needs • Disconnected from roots/land/history • Harder to understand racism • Disconnected from people of color • Middle Class Needs • Struggle with flexibility • Harder to understand classism • Difficulty with vulnerability Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

10. Oppression Is Real…and it affects all of us, all the time, whether or not we are aware of it. • Internalized Oppression and Peer Support • Example: internalized racism • Example: internalized genocide • Interpersonal Oppression and Peer Support • Example: office dynamics • Example: working with participants • Institutional Oppression and Peer Support • Example: tracking demographics Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

11. Tools for Liberation: Working with Participants • Share in chatbox: How do you help participants connect with their own culture and/or share it with you? • Some tools that work for me • Motivational interviewing • Patience • Doing my homework and staying humble/curious • Doing my own recovery/healing work Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

12. Tools for Liberation: Working with Supervisors and Coworkers • Share in chatbox: How have you successfully built cross-cultural understanding with your supervisor or coworkers? • Some tools that work for me: • Knowing myself well enough to anticipate challenges and address them proactively • Supervisor questionnaire • Finding opportunities to share vulnerability Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

13. Tools for Liberation: In Every Situation • Play! • Creating art together • Laughter • Sharing meals • Peer counseling Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

14. Oh no!! I made a mistake! What do I do now?! • Poll time! Have you ever made a cultural mistake that hurt someone else? • So what do we do? • Receive the GIFT! • Skip the blame • Apologize and process it with someone else • Apply transformative justice: take action in a way that addresses the root causes of the problem Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

15. Oh no!! Someone hurt me!What do I do now?! • Poll time! Have you ever had the experience of someone making a cultural mistake that hurt you? • So what do we do? • Remember your strengths and the strengths of your people • Find your community support • Know (or learn) your rights • Find (or build) your allies • Optional but recommended: Find understanding for the person who caused the harm and the context • Consider steps for action (including no action) Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

16. What do we get out of all this?Some Benefits of Doing the Hard Work of Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support • Closer relationships • Bigger, more accurate picture of the world • More access to our own intelligence • Move the world closer to liberation Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

17. ResourcesPlease add more in the chatbox! • Books • Towards Psychologies of Liberation by Watkins and Shulman • Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment by Leticia Nieto • Decolonizing “Multicultural” Counseling Through Social Justice edited by Goodman and Gorski • Power, Resistance and Liberation in Therapy with Survivors of Trauma: To Have Our Hearts Broken by TaiwoAfuape • Tools • From Saviorism to Solidarity:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B38v3TQ7Amz0eF9kOEJUYjlRQWNtSGhhVEVwT0p2Wm9MQnVV/view • White Supremacy Culture:http://www.cwsworkshop.org/PARC_site_B/dr-culture.html • Re-evaluation Counseling: www.co-counseling.org • Connect with local social justice organizations • Contact me: julianne.gale@gmail.com Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

18. Q&A Share in the chatbox: What questions do you still have? Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support

19. Closing • Share in the chatbox: • What did you like about this training? • What was one important thing that you learned? • What is one culturally-informed thing you are going to try in the next week? Culturally Informed and Appropriate Peer Support