Each year, the Pacific Center for Human Growth, in collaboration with Alameda County Behavioral Services, brings the Mental Health at the Intersections conference to the community. This conference is a day of interactive and immersive learning centering Queer & Trans Black, Indigenous, Mixed Race, People of Color (QTBIMPOC).

Together, facilitators and participants explore the ways in which QTBIMPOC experience multiple forms of oppression that, too often, are not addressed effectively within the therapeutic context. Combining personal stories, educational theory, and professional experience, workshop facilitators help participants move beyond dominant mental health paradigms toward a more holistic, culturally relevant, integrated approach.

Check out this video from our 2019 Mental Health at the Intersections Conference.

Schedule

9:00-10:00 Registration (coffee/small bites)

10:00-10:05 Opening Remarks

10:05-10:20 Sound Bath led by Phoenix Song Music

10:20-10:50 Keynote: Debra Camarillo, MA, CATC I

A Beautiful Inheritance: Sharing reflections on the gender fluidity acknowledged by the ancestors and the importance of standing in our beauty, knowing who we are.

11:00-12:30 Breakout Session Block A*

12:30-1:30 Box Lunch provided by The Fountain Cafe

1:30-3:00 Breakout Session Block B*

3:10-4:10 Panel Discussion moderated by DeAngela Cooks, AMFT

4:10-4:30 Closing Remarks

*Breakout Sessions Block A & B will be the only hybrid offerings (in-person and online)

• If you are joining us virtually please ensure that you include accurate email information when registering on Eventbrite to receive ZOOM information for the workshops. We will share ZOOM information the day of the event.

COVID Protocol for in-person attendance:

• Proof of vaccination required
• Temperature screening upon arrival
• KN95 masks required
• Submit a negative COVID test taken within two days or On-site COVID rapid test provided (allot 15 minute early arrival)

Breakout Session Block A: (more details to come)

Community Self-Care: Grief Circle led by Phoenix Song

Grieving is a way of showing our love and care. In this circle, we will share our personal and collective griefs and use writing, movement, sounding, and other embodied, creative processes to help us honor and express our sorrows. Grieving together is a way to connect and feel lighter, supported, and held as we make beauty and meaning of our losses with art and sit in the heartbreak of the 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows of being human.

The Future of the World: QTBIMPOC youth and mental health by Solymar Solá Negrón, AMFT

Our youth are gifted and innovative in constantly re-rooting and re-imagining realities and futures of freedom for themselves and their loved ones as a potent healing strategy and intergenerational therapeutic intervention. While a tedious task, this constant reimagination of self and community has continued to birth new possibilities for the world. Let us commune, learn from our youth and their legacy, to better guide our own therapeutic practices. Participants will explore workshop topics through data, storytelling, music, art and psychotherapeutic interventions.

“I know I’m a boy, but I’m worried they won’t believe me.”: Gender dysphoria, transformation, and honoring the true story led by Grayson Thompson

This workshop is designed for anyone interested in working with transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive communities; and the folks who love them. In this workshop, participants will gain a clearer understanding of gender-related language and the complex intersections of gender dysphoria. The discussions had during this 90-minute facilitation will also be centering on how these experiences are compounded by racial and ethnic identity.

Supporting QTBIMPOC Elders led by Nia Hamilton-Ibu, LCSW

This workshop will explore various needs of QTBIMPOC elders accessing mental health services. The workshop will explore developmental, assessment, and treatment needs. The impact of isolation and ways to support healing through connection will also be explored.

Breakout Session Block B: (more details to come)

Community Self-Care: Free Your Voice led by Phoenix Song

Sing, sound, and speak your truth with more confidence in this playful workshop that ranges from the sacred to the silly. Learn healthy, functional vocal techniques to help you play your body instrument, connect to intention and emotion through your voice, sing uplifting freedom songs from around the world, and discover your and the group’s own music through vocal improvisation. All levels, beginners welcome, including those with trauma around their voices and shy people. We co-create a safer and braver space for everyone to explore their voices.

The Future of the World: QTBIMPOC youth and mental health led by Solymar Solá Negrón, AMFT

Our youth are gifted and innovative in constantly re-rooting and re-imagining realities and futures of freedom for themselves and their loved ones as a potent healing strategy and intergenerational therapeutic intervention. While a tedious task, this constant reimagination of self and community has continued to birth new possibilities for the world. Let us commune, learn from our youth and their legacy, to better guide our own therapeutic practices. Participants will explore workshop topics through data, storytelling, music, art and psychotherapeutic interventions.

“I know I’m a boy, but I’m worried they won’t believe me.”: Gender dysphoria, transformation, and honoring the true story led by Grayson Thompson

This workshop is designed for anyone interested in working with transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive communities; and the folks who love them. In this workshop, participants will gain a clearer understanding of gender-related language and the complex intersections of gender dysphoria. The discussions had during this 90-minute facilitation will also be centering on how these experiences are compounded by racial and ethnic identity.

Supporting QTBIMPOC Elders led by Nia Hamilton-Ibu, LCSW

This workshop will explore various needs of QTBIMPOC elders accessing mental health services. The workshop will explore developmental, assessment, and treatment needs. The impact of isolation and ways to support healing through connection will also be explored.

Feedback:

Participants are invited and encouraged to complete the Workshop Evaluation following their participation in the workshop they attend.

——-

Learn More & Support Pacific Center for Human Growth

As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Pacific Center (EIN: 94-2287492) relies upon the generosity of individual donors to sustain and grow our programs. There are a variety of ways you can financially contribute to Pacific Center, and they all have a meaningful impact on our work.

Click here to make a tax-deductible donation today!

Click here to request a training or workshop for your organization!