Research & Practice Innovations in Healing Interpersonal & Racial Trauma for Black Youth & Families
February 25, 2025
10:30 A.M. – Noon PT
REPLAY & RESOURCES:
Click the button below to access the training materials and supplemental resources from this webinar. Note: You will need to log in to your CalTrin account to access the training materials. You can create a free account here. Training certificates are only available following live trainings or completion of self-paced courses. A certificate will not be provided for review of these materials.
TRAINING DETAILS:
This training explores the profound impact of interpersonal trauma on Black youth, with a focus on the compounding stress of race-related experiences such as microaggressions and vicarious trauma. Participants will engage with the latest research and practice innovations aimed at healing both interpersonal and racial trauma, particularly within community-based service settings such as Children’s Advocacy Centers, hospitals, schools, and social services.
The training will examine how racial stress and trauma influence mental health, behavioral, and academic outcomes, often being overlooked in conventional trauma treatment frameworks. Participants will explore evidence-based trauma treatment strategies proven effective for Black youth and families while emphasizing the need for culturally informed practices. Special attention will be given to integrating cultural strengths and protective factors, such as racial socialization, to promote resilience, coping, and improved treatment engagement.
Key topics include:
- Identifying trauma and traumatic stress symptoms in Black youth
- Understanding the effects of racial stress and trauma on mental and behavioral health
- Exploring barriers and facilitators to service engagement for Black clients
- Leveraging racial socialization as a protective factor
The session will combine research insights with practical applications, equipping participants with strategies for culturally affirming and effective trauma care for Black youth and families.
Learners will be able to:
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- Describe the impact of interpersonal and racial stress and trauma on Black youth’s mental and behavioral health
- Describe the results of research on systemic, institutional, and individual barriers/facilitators to increasing service utilization for Black clients
- Describe racial socialization as a protective factor in treatment outcomes
Who should attend: All staff of family resource centers (FRCs), child abuse prevention councils (CAPCs), community-based organizations, and other child- and family-serving systems.
IMPORTANT TRAINING INFORMATION:
- This is a webinar-style training. This means that you will not be on camera and will not be able to see other learners. This training will not include breakout rooms. Opportunities to interact with the presenter(s) and other participants will be included.
- This training will be recorded. A recording of this webinar will be available to registered learners within 2 days of the training.
- California privacy laws mandate consent for recording conversations using AI applications. To ensure a respectful and secure learning environment for all participants, AI assistants are not allowed in CalTrin training. We value an accessible learning environment. If you require an accommodation to support your learning, please email us at least three business days before the training.
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MEET THE SPEAKER
Dr. Isha W. Metzger is the Founder of Cultural Concepts, LLC, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University, Adjunct and Graduate faculty at the University of Georgia, and Visiting Research Faculty at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University. Dr. Metzger earned her PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina, completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, and received postdoctoral training at both the National Crime Victims Center and Yale University.
As Director of The EMPOWER Lab at GSU, Dr. Metzger focuses on reducing mental health disparities through “Engaging Minorities in Prevention, Outreach, Wellness, Education, & Research.” Dr. Metzger’s systematic research program is aimed at healing culturally specific risk factors like racial discrimination through utilizing protective factors like racial socialization to improve cognitive and behavioral outcomes for Black clients receiving evidence-based services for interpersonal and racial stress and trauma in “real world” settings.
As a licensed clinical psychologist and trainer for Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dr. Metzger offers instruction, supervision, training, and consultation to students, practitioners, client-facing staff, and organizations on the culturally sensitive delivery of evidence-based treatments for underserved individuals seeking mental health treatment for a range of problems including anxiety, depression, school disengagement and behavioral difficulties, PTSD, racial trauma, and substance misuse. Dr. Metzger is an advocate for Black youth and families, and she is personally and professionally committed to amplify and utilize the individual and family strengths of Black youth to heal and thrive in the face of racism.
