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Presented by Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn Ph.D., University of Calgary
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Continuing Education

This program provides 1 hour of continuing education units.
-Approval NASW-KY #050522. NASW-KY is an approved provider for social work credits through the KYBSW.
-Approved Provider #50-33522 Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. Course #20-1176570.
-Accepted by the OH CSWMFT Board.

Continuing education requirements vary by state, while many accept the above approvals, please confirm with your board.

Learning Objectives

  1. Gain an understanding of how settler colonialism informed/s the mental health system we have today.
  2. Review theories and definitions of what decolonizing mental health means and how this topic relates to multiple aspects of mental health i.e. academic field, clinical practice, policy creation, etc.
  3. Understand how the demographics of mental health educators and practitioners, as well as the lack of culturally competent education, contribute exclusionary and harmful practices and experiences in mental health fields.
  4. Evaluate your roles and experiences within the discussion of harmful mental health practices and decolonization of mental health.
  5. Understand, through personal anecdote and statistical research, how individuals, groups, and communities have been negatively affected and harmed by the institution of mental health and its practices.
  6. Explore the multi-layer and intersectionality of the decolonization of mental health and other aspects of society and culture i.e. capitalism, public service systems, legislations, etc.
  7. Review the history and evolution of social justice scholars and mental health education.
  8. Review the context of mental health and the decolonization of mental health on a global scale.
  9. Understand the disconnect between mental health theories of support, clinical practice, boundaries, standards, etc. and the real world experiences of clients and clinicians, and the impact that this disconnect has on treatment.
  10. Understand that despite the importance of these discussions, there is no single checklist of goals to achieve decolonization of mental health but instead a multi-layered, long-term process of work to transform our current systems.
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Dr. Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn

University of Calgary
Dr. Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn (she/her) was born and grew up in Curitiba, Brazil and made Canada home in 2004 Dr. Lacerda-Vandenborn's research focuses on philosophical and theoretical ideas about the self; how these are interpreted and translated into social institutional practices, beliefs, and legislation and the social implications associated with them. She critiques individualistic approaches in favor of more communal perspectives of selfhood in learning, teaching, and research, particularly for education, counseling psychology, and child welfare. This ontological work is closely related with issues of relational and situated epistemologies, community-led, based, and participatory methodologies, and communal axiological principles in the social sciences.
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