Peer Support Groups
Thursday, October 2, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Thursday, October 16, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Thursday, October 30, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Thursday, November 13, 2025
1:30pm-3:00pm
Therapist Identity and the Pressure to “Perform” Expertise – How Does Professional Identity Shape (or Limit) How We Show Up?
As therapists, we often navigate the tension between our professional identity and our authentic selves. In this session, we will explore how societal expectations and internal pressures around expertise shape how we show up in the therapy room. What does it mean to embody the role of “expert” while also maintaining humility and authenticity? This conversation will allow us to reflect on the roles we perform in our clinical work, and how these roles may either limit or expand our ability to connect meaningfully with clients. Participants will be invited to examine how the weight of “professional identity” impacts their practice, their relationships with clients, and their own sense of competence.
Key Takeaways:
A deeper understanding of how professional identity can both empower and constrain our clinical work.
Reflecting on the balance between expertise, authenticity, and vulnerability in therapy.
Practical tools for deconstructing the pressure to “perform” expertise and cultivating a more authentic presence.
Cultural Humility Beyond Buzzwords – How Do We Engage with Difference Without Falling Into Performative Allyship?
Cultural humility is more than a buzzword—it’s an ongoing commitment to self-awareness, learning, and action. This session will go beyond surface-level understanding of cultural competence and explore what it truly means to engage with clients from different cultural backgrounds in a meaningful and ethical way. How can we ensure that our approach to diversity is not performative, but rather rooted in genuine curiosity, humility, and a willingness to unlearn and relearn? We will dive into the nuances of cultural humility, focusing on how to maintain an open, nonjudgmental stance while being aware of our own biases, privileges, and assumptions.
Key Takeaways:
Understanding cultural humility as a lifelong process of learning and self-reflection.
Tools for engaging authentically with clients from diverse backgrounds without resorting to performative allyship.
Building a framework for addressing cultural differences with humility and respect in therapeutic work.
Working with Clients Whose Beliefs Challenge Our Own – What Do We Do When a Client’s Values Feel Personally Activating?
As therapists, we are bound by our professional ethics to support clients through their values and belief systems—even when they conflict with our own. This session will explore the challenge of working with clients whose beliefs activate strong emotional reactions in us, whether they are political, religious, or otherwise. How can we create a therapeutic space that remains safe and supportive while managing our own personal discomfort? We’ll engage in reflective discussions on the boundaries between our personal values and professional ethics, learning to manage and reflect on our emotional responses without imposing our values on our clients. Participants will leave with strategies for holding space for clients whose beliefs may feel personally challenging, while maintaining the integrity of the therapeutic relationship.
Key Takeaways:
Tools for managing personal discomfort when working with clients whose beliefs conflict with our own.
Strategies for maintaining ethical neutrality while respecting clients' autonomy and values.
Insights on using personal discomfort as a source of professional growth and self- awareness.
Identity in Flux - How Do We Navigate And Support Clients Whose Identities Are Dynamic, Multifaceted, And In Constant Evolution?
Identity is not a fixed or static concept; it is constantly shifting and evolving through life experiences, personal growth, and cultural influences. In this session, we will explore how therapists can support clients whose sense of self is in flux, acknowledging that identity is dynamic rather than rigid. We’ll reflect on the challenge of embracing this fluidity while maintaining a grounded, affirming presence in the therapeutic relationship. By learning to hold space for clients’ evolving identities, therapists can help them navigate the complexities of change without imposing fixed expectations or definitions. This session will encourage us to approach identity with curiosity and humility, fostering an environment where clients can explore who they are, as they are, in all stages of their journey.
Key Takeaways:
Recognizing and respecting the fluidity of identity in both ourselves and our clients.
Developing a non-judgmental, flexible approach to working with clients whose identities are evolving.
Navigating the tension between supporting clients’ growth and avoiding rigid or reductive labels.