Peer Support Groups
Thursday, June 12, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Thursday, June 26, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Thursday, July 10, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Thursday, July 24, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Therapeutic Neutrality vs. Advocacy – Should Therapists Always Remain Neutral, or Is Advocacy Sometimes Necessary?
As clinicians, we are often taught to maintain neutrality, yet the complexities of today’s world sometimes demand that we take a stand. This session will explore the ethical dilemma between maintaining neutrality in therapy and advocating for social justice, client rights, or systemic change. Through reflective discussion, we’ll examine how to navigate the tension between personal values, professional ethics, and the needs of the clients we serve. Participants will explore when neutrality becomes complicit in harm, and when advocacy may be an ethical imperative to best serve the clients and communities we work with.
Key Takeaways:
The ethical considerations of neutrality and advocacy within therapeutic practice.
Understanding when advocacy enhances the therapeutic relationship and when it may create tension.
Tools for navigating the balance between personal values and professional ethics.
When Therapy Becomes a Systemic Act – How Do We Work Within (or Against) Systems That May Harm the People We Serve?
Therapists often work within systems that may contribute to the suffering of the very people we aim to help. In this session, we will engage in a thoughtful dialogue on the ways in which therapy intersects with larger societal structures, such as healthcare, education, and criminal justice. How do we navigate the ethical complexities of working within systems that may perpetuate harm or inequality? We’ll reflect on the potential to challenge, change, or work within these systems to ensure that therapy remains a tool for healing, not a mechanism that perpetuates harm. This conversation will push us to consider the ethical responsibilities we have not only to our clients but to the broader systems in which we practice.
Key Takeaways:
Reflecting on the ethical implications of working within systemic structures.
Strategies for advocating for clients within systems that may be harmful.
Exploring the role of therapists in systemic change and social justice.
Navigating Ethical Gray Areas – What Do We Do When Professional Guidelines Don’t Fully Align with the Complexities of Real Life?
Clinical work often exists in the realm of ethical gray areas, where professional guidelines don’t always align with the nuances of real-life situations. This session invites participants to explore how to navigate these tricky dilemmas, where the right course of action isn’t always clear. We’ll engage in reflective discussions on case examples where guidelines might conflict with personal ethics or where real-world complexities challenge theoretical models. This session will help you reflect on the critical thinking skills necessary to make ethically sound decisions while remaining flexible and compassionate in the face of ambiguity.
Key Takeaways:
Working with ethical decision-making frameworks to navigate gray areas.
Understanding the limitations of professional guidelines and applying ethical reasoning.
Engaging in collaborative discussions to explore solutions to complex ethical dilemmas.
The Role of Privilege in Therapy – How Do Privilege, Bias, and Power Dynamics Shape the Therapeutic Relationship?
Privilege and power dynamics are ever-present in therapy despite our best efforts to level them out with our clients. This session will delve into how our own identities, biases, and privileges impact the therapeutic relationship, often in unconscious and subtle ways. Through a lens of cultural humility, we’ll reflect on how we can be aware of these dynamics and work to minimize harm. We will explore how to hold space for clients in a way that acknowledges and addresses power imbalances, making therapy a truly equitable process for all clients, regardless of their background or identity.
Key Takeaways:
A deeper understanding of how privilege and power dynamics manifest in therapy.
Reflecting on your own identities and biases, and their impact on the therapeutic relationship.
Strategies for fostering cultural humility and reducing harm in your practice.