Trauma Bonded Sistas

« Trauma Bonded Sistas » is a clinical workshop for Black Women. In the height of the pandemic I began to receive more calls from women struggling with their mental health and in need of trauma therapy than I could handle. I created an intervention that would allow me to treat multiple women at one time. Trauma Bonded Sistas Is a justice based approach to health and healthcare, specifically targeted to engage Black women in discussing the historical context of race-based trauma and the impact that such trauma has on Black women, which often lead to trauma bonds between them. Trauma Bonded Sistas will explore how trauma affects Black women and the automatic responses that traumatic experiences often elicit. The function of this approach is to facilitate the development of healthy bonds between Black women and to promote mental wellness and healing. Partcipants engage in discussions about the types of mental health treatments availible to Black women and barriers that often prevent Black women from fully engaging in therapy. Also participants explore impicit bias and the ways that it shows up in the lives of these women and in the environment which often lead to more stress adding pressure on an already isolated and marginilized group. During the workshop participants will discuss the efficacy of group EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) and use of the group protocol. Participants will review and discuss the eight phases of EMDR and how they are incorporated in TBS. Participants will discuss the results of the data gathered and the effectiveness of the TBS model.

Learning objectives

1. Participants will be able to define the term « Trauma Bonding » as it pertains to Black women.
2. Participants will explore the impact of trauma including race-based trauma on the mental health of Black women.
3. Participants will dicuss the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in the group setting.

Percentage of EMDR: 80%