2020 Multicultural Virtual Summit:
Difficult Dialogues and Healing Conversations
Hosted by Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA) and the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT)
Friday, November 6, 2020
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
This virtual summit is co-sponsored with the Metropolitan State University Psychology Department.
Virtual Summit Details
Location
Virtual Summit - watch from the comfort of your own home or office!
Details on how to join the virtual summit will be provided the day before the program.
Target Audience
This program is designed for psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and other behavioral health professionals in related fields.
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Registration Type
MPA or MAMFT Member
Non-Member
Student
Pricing
$149
$169
$30
Programming Schedule
8:50 am - 9:00 am
Login to Virtual Summit*
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Keynote
10:30 am - 10:45 am
Break*
10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Difficult Dialogue
12:15 pm - 12:45 pm
Lunch Break*
12:45 pm - 2:15 pm
Keynote Panel
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Break*
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Difficult Dialogue
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Wrap Up*
*CE credits not awarded for these activities
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This session qualifies for 6.0 continuing education credits. You must attend the entire virtual summit to receive CE credit. No partial credits will be given.
Keynote Speaker and Topic
PhD, MS, SEP, CST, LMFT
Alex Iantaffi
is a certified sex therapist, family therapist, Somatic ExperiencingⓇ practitioner, clinical supervisor, author and scholar. They are adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, chair elect for the Trans and Queer interest network of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and past Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy. They have researched, presented and published extensively on gender, disability, sexuality, relationships, and HIV. Alex is a trans masculine, nonbinary, bi queer, disabled, Italian immigrant who lives on Dakota and Anishinaabe territories, currently known as Minneapolis. Alex is the author of various books on gender and hosts the podcast Gender Stories.
Healing Gendered Trauma: An Intersectional and Systemic Perspective
In this keynote, the presenter will highlight how rigid gender binaries are part of the legacy of settler--colonialism and cishetero patriarchal norms that systemically impact all bodies, albeit in a range of different ways. They will address how the ways in which our bodies are gendered intersect with the ways in which we are racialized, normed and read in dominant culture and how these intersections of identities and experiences impact our mental health. Participants will be invited to reflect on their own experiences and on what might their role as mental health providers be within the context of healing from (cis)gendered trauma. Examples from both clinical practice and lived experiences will be provided to illustrate the points made in this talk. By the end of the session, participants will be more aware of how pervasive cisgendersim is, how it impacts their personal and professional lives, and how they might choose to engage with healing gendered trauma in their practices and everyday life.
Keynote Panel and Topic
Saida M. Abdi
PhD
is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. She is a clinical social worker and an expert in refugee trauma and resilience. Dr. Abdi has worked for more than 20 years with refugee youth and families in the diaspora. Her area of focus is building individual, family, and community resilience and improving systems of care responsiveness to the needs of refugee and immigrant communities. She is the co-author of the recently published book, Mental Health Practice With Immigrant and Refugee Youth: A Socioecological Framework (APA, 2019).
Ahmed Hassan
LPCC
has a Master's degree from St. Mary's University of Minnesota and is currently a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. He is a therapist and a program Director at summit Guidance. His experience includes providing individual, group, and play therapy. He started Summit Guidance which offers a variety of services including psychotherapy, CTSS, and ARMHS. Summit Guidance also provides school-based mental health services. Mr. Hassan worked at Community University Healthcare Center as a mental health practitioner working with immigrants and refugee clients. He provides consultation to mental health providers and agencies that are working with East African clients. He recently provided training to all of Ramsey County’s Human Services personnel. Mr. Hassan was a co-facilitator of the lmam training project run by Fairview foundations for the past two years. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Minnesota State University.
Cawo M. Abdi
PhD
is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota and a research associate at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She is the author of the book, “Elusive Jannah: The Somali Diaspora and a Borderless Muslim Identity,” University of Minnesota Press, 2015. Research on refugee issues since 2000, extensive publications on this area.
Supporting the Psychological Well-Being of Refugees: Somali Community in Minnesota and Access to Mental Health
This panel brings together expertise on Somali refugee migration and mental health. The discussion provides a historical overview of Somali migration to Minnesota, while also touching on current refugee policies. The topics covered will include the history of migration and its impact on mental health related to risk and resilience of children, youth and families. Identity and settlement in the US context will also be central for this panel as this pertains to religious identity and strong community networks, acculturation, racism, and trauma.
Participants will be able to:
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Explain the unique migration experiences of Somali refugees in Minnesota.
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Discuss Somali culture in Minnesota and the intersection of one’s own values, beliefs, biases and assumptions.
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Integrate knowledge of Somali refugee health concerns into their clinical practice.