CEU CREDITS AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING WORKSHOPS, PLENARIES, AND SYMPOSIA: THURSDAY WORKSHOP (6. 5 hours): The Personal Meets the Political in Critical Therapy Silvia M. Dutchevici, LCSW
Megan Chinn, LCSW
DATE: Thursday, March 5
TIME: 8:30am-12pm, 1:00-4:30
LOCATION: Room 103
Social Justice Meets Clinical Practice. In a 2017 poll conducted by the APA, more than half of Americans say that the current political climate is a “very or somewhat significant” source of stress. What is the role of a therapist? How does politics and ideology enter the clinical hour?
The critical therapist is one who develops a mode of praxis that engages the patient in a
dialectical process by which the patient begins to vocalize and give shape to an interpretation
of the world that identifies his/her oppression. The goal of therapy is not just analysis, or
adaptation of the individual to an oppressive system. The goal is liberation.
Participants will learn how in critical therapy, the role of the therapist is one of collaborator, of accompaniment with the patient, through a journey of both personal and political self-reflection. Not fearful of confronting and addressing issues of race, class, gender, and religion, the position of the therapist is to engage in the act of conscientization with the patient. Through interactive group discussions, we will invite participants to reflect on their own power and ideology. We will reflect and discuss how one’s identity and world view comes up in the clinical hour.
WORKSHOP (3.5 hours) Teaching the Psychology of Women in the Age of Trump and #MeToo Crystal L. Hendrick, PhD
Emily Keener, PhD
Christine Smith, PhD
DATE: Thursday, March 5
TIME: 8:30 – 12:00PM
LOCATION: Room 116
This workshop will guide participants through a discussion of how teaching psychology of women and gender has changed post Trump in general but also specifically as it relates to the #MeToo movement and topics related to sexual harassment and violence. Participants will also engage in a number of experiential activities that they will then be able to use in their own classes. Essential themes in feminist psychology such as intersectionality, global perspectives, and social activism will be emphasized.
WORKSHOP (3.5 hours) Tools for Teachers of Psychology of Women & Gender: Intersectional Perspectives Kate Richmond, Ph.D.
Mindy J. Erchull, Ph.D.
DATE: Thursday, March 5
TIME: 1:00 – 4:30PM
LOCATION: Room 115
We are living in an increasingly polarized and politically charged environment. Communication scholars have referred to this as a “post-truth” world. Students are often exposed to extreme viewpoints and frequently only hear opinions that resonate within the echo chamber of their already formed beliefs. Simultaneously, they are more inclined to engage with people with opposing views through anonymous forums (e.g., social media, blogs, etc.) and less likely to develop the intrapersonal and interpersonal skills necessary for critical engagement with one another.
As teachers of Psychology of Women & Gender, we must help our students develop tools to navigate the complex world we live in. In this interactive workshop, we will facilitate discussion about approaches to these issues. We’ll also share ideas about how to discuss complicated and often politically-charged issues without relying on reductionist simple answers. As part of this, we’ll demonstrate how, even when available data is analyzed, not all issues have easy answers, and this ultimately requires teachers to discuss and model ethical decision-making. We will also explore the necessity for students to practice and develop intrapersonal and interpersonal skills alongside difficult content. Participants will leave with details about a number of activities, readings, and other resources that they can immediately utilize in their classes to help promote critical thinking through an intersectional feminist perspective.
WORKSHOP (3.5 Hours) Having the Talk-Walking the Walk: Police Violence Toward Black Citizens, Implications for Mental Hlth & Psychotherapy. Beverly Greene, Ph.D.
Christina Pasley-Bailey, MPA
Dr. Frances Trotman, Ph.D.
Alicia Parker, Detective Lt. Cmdr, NYC Police Force(Retired)
DATE: Thursday, March 4
TIME: 1:00 – 4:30PM
LOCATION: Room 116
Explores realities and behavioral sequelae of state-sponsored violence expressed in police brutality, disproportionate scrutiny from law enforcement and deaths of unarmed Black citizens. Psychological challenges to optimal mental health that African American families face, particularly for Black women, and considerations for psychotherapy will be discussed.
FRIDAY SYMPOSIUM (1.25 hours): Inequities in Schools: Girls’ Experiences of Sexual Harassment, Sexism, And Racism | Britney G Brinkman, PhD |
| Ashley Dandridge, MS |
| Shacoya Bates |
| Orlandria Smith, MA |
| Kandie Brinkman, PhD |
| Deanna Hamilton, PhD |
| Meredith Deal, MS |
| Kate Meade, MA |
DATE: Friday, March 6
TIME: 10:45am-12:00pm
LOCATION: Room 108
This symposium explores girls’ experiences of sexual harassment, sexism, and racism within schools. Data from three studies will detail perspectives from girls and teachers in schools, exploring how girls cope with these events and ways teachers and other staff members respond.
WORKSHOP (1 hour): Activism - Social Agency and Sexual Rights Sandy Ramirez, Psy. D. sandylou29@yahoo.com
Paula J, Caplan, Ph, D. paulacaplan@gmail.com
DATE: Friday, March 6
TIME: 1:15-2:15PM
LOCATION: Room 101
This session will present examples of activism through research, teaching and direct actions focused on sexuality, sexual orientation, sex/gender and reproductive health, sexual assault. We will look at how feminist/integrative/qualitative/critical/mixed methodologies inform teaching and clinical interventions as well as political actions leading to systemic change.
SYMPOSIUM (1.25 hours) Engaging Transformative Power for Incarcerated Women Susan Marcus-Mendoza, Ph.D.
Chloe Blau, M.A.
Kathryn Quina, Ph.D.
DATE: Friday, March 6
TIME: 2:30-3:45PM
LOCATION: Room 103
We have conducted feminist research and interventions in women's prisons, and will discuss our findings, and potential for more transformational interventions. We will discuss our own transformations, and will seek from the audience their experiences and ideas. We hope that this session will encourage others to work with this population.
WORKSHOP (1 hour): Feminism, Spirituality, Women's Empowerment and Social Justice: Two Perspectives Oliva M. Espín, Ph.D.
Leanne R. Parker, Ph.D.
DATE: Friday, March 6
TIME: 4:00-5:00PM
LOCATION: Room 101
This workshop offers diverse understandings about the links of feminist psychology and spirituality from intersectional perspectives. Participants will be invited to explore their connections and disconnections to spirituality from the perspectives of two different approaches to spirituality to discover what and how these two approaches can enrich their feminist psychology practice, as well as their own personal feminist spiritual development and psychological empowerment. Spirituality can be a site of resistance rooted in women’s personal and collective experiences of empowerment. It can become a liberating force and foster emancipation through personal interpretations of traditional beliefs. It involves commitment to the intrinsic relationship between personal psychological growth and development, including the development of personal sexuality and the politics and practices of social justice. Its significance for women’s personal and collective empowerment and potential to enrich participants' feminist identities and practices of social justice will be discussed. Implications for therapy, education and other forms of feminist practice are central to this workshop. Activities will illustrate applications to practice.
WORKSHOP (1 hour): Is There Such a Thing as a Normal Woman? Sexism in Psychiatric Diagnosis, Mother-blame, & Psychological Theory & Research Paula J, Caplan, Ph, D.
DATE: Friday, March 6
TIME: 4:00-5:00PM
LOCATION: Room 106
Even this far into the 21st century, if one examines psychiatric diagnosis, stereotypes and myths about and expectations of mothers, and classic theories of psychological development, it is hard to find any possibilities for women to be considered anything other than pathological or otherwise deficient. The ways that psychiatric diagnoses are conceived, constructed, and applied leave the field wide open for sexism, as well as for every conceivable form of bias, as described in the AWP-supported book, Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis. Mother-blame in clinical journals, as well as mother-blame as hate speech, results in the pathologizing of virtually anything that mothers might do. And classic theories of psychological development and designs of research questions and methodologies have often been profoundly sexist. Alternatives to each of these -- diagnosis, mother-blame and pathologizing of mothers, theories of development, and psychological research -- will be discussed.
SYMPOSIUM (1 hour) Compelled disclosure of college sexual assault | Kathryn J. Holland PhD |
| Lilia M. Cortina PhD |
| Jennifer J. Freyd PhD |
DATE: Friday, March 6
TIME: 5:15-6:00PM
LOCATION: Room 107
Mandatory reporting policies for sexual assault can compel survivors to disclose assaults even when they do not want to. This talk outlines the landscape of college/university mandatory reporting policies, assumptions driving these policies, and empirical evidence examining the potential effects of these policies on survivors, employees, and campus communities.
SATURDAY PLENARIES: (1.5 hours) Sexual Agency Inside and Out: The Conceptualization, Embodiment, and Promise of Sexual Agency Beyond Neoliberal Ideology Deborah L. Tolman, EdD
Laina Y. Bay-Cheng, MSW, PhD
Alexandra Rutherford, Ph.D.
DATE: Saturday, March 7
TIME: 8:30-10:30AM
LOCATION: Grand Ballroom
This plenary session considers sexual agency not only as it is defined by and within neoliberal discourse, but also its historical conceptualization, its embodiment in young women’s lived experiences, and how it can be broadened through policies and practices. Each speaker will draw on their respective bodies of scholarship to advocate collectively for a vision of girls – and their agency – that is more nuanced, potent, and fraught than neoliberal rhetoric and representations suggest. Presentations will highlight theoretical, methodological, and practical paths forward for feminist psychology in support of young women’s sexual well-being.
WORKSHOP (1 hour): Loving More than One: Therapeutic Considerations for Polyamory Manijeh Badiee, PhD
DATE: Saturday, March 7
TIME: 1:15-2:15pm
LOCATION: Room 115
Although monogamy persists as the default and ideal relationship model, one in five people have engaged in ethical non-monogamous relationships (Haupert, Gesselman, Moors, Fisher, & Garcia, 2017). In ethical non-monogamy, individuals explicitly agree that they and/or their partners can enter romantic and/or sexual relationships with other people (Balzarini et al., 2017).
Ethical non-monogamy is generally not acknowledged as an aspect of diversity and is
understudied in psychology. Thus, despite its stigma, minimal guidance exists for psychologists
in working with these clients. This workshop will focus on a common type of ethical non-
monogamy: polyamory. Audience’s biases about these relationships will be explored, various approaches to polyamory will be provided, therapeutic considerations will be presented,
including resources, and clinical vignettes will be discussed.
WORKSHOP (1.25 hours) Advocacy to End Sexism in Courts Taking Child Custody from Protective Mothers of Sexually Abused Children Paula J, Caplan, Ph, D.
DATE: Saturday, March 7
TIME: 2:30-3:45PM
LOCATION: Room 115
Rarely publicized is the misogyny in family courts, which leads judges too often to award custody of sexually abused children to abusive fathers. Description of typical cases will be followed by a project aimed to lead to federal legislation to stop these horrors and by performance of a play about this subject.
WORKSHOP (1 hour): Women Military Veterans' Sex-Specific Barriers as Sexual Assault Victims and as Mothers Paula J, Caplan, Ph, D.
DATE: Saturday, March 7
TIME: 4:00-5:00PM
LOCATION: Room 101
Women in the military and women veterans constitute populations that are not only underserved but often actively mistreated in ways stemming from profound misogyny both in and out of the military. Women who are sexually harassed or abused in the military and seek help because of being understandably upset are extremely likely to be diagnosed as mentally ill rather than told that their upset is deeply human and understandable; they are often subject to retaliation and reprisals if they report the abuse; their discharges from the military often include their psychiatric labels; and these labels cause them ongoing harm in the VA system and in civil society, including in family courts. Women who are mothers while serving in the military often understandably feel guilt and shame for "being bad mothers" when they are ordered to leave their children behind in order to serve, and of course they often miss their children terribly. They, too, seeking help from military therapists for these feelings are often given psychiatric labels and even prescribed psychiatric drugs to try to suppress their guilt, shame, and sadness, thereby making them feel that something is wrong with them. The drugs more often create more problems than they help with. Advocacy and actions to help both victims of sexual harassment and assault and mothers who currently serve or have served in the military will be discussed.
SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM (1.25 hours): Sexual Risk, Sexual Violence, and Sexual Health among Women, and Sexual and Gender Minorities | Idia B. Thurston PhD |
| Kathryn H. Howell PhD |
| Rebecca Kamody PhD |
| Tracy Hipp PhD |
DATE: Sunday, March 8
TIME: 10:00-11:15AM
LOCATION: Room 108
This symposium presents research on protective factors associated with decreased sexual risk behaviors in women; measurement challenges for assessing sexual risk in sexual minority women; sexual violence and health in women experiencing partner violence, and predictors of reproductive health and fertility care pursuits in Transgender and gender expansive youth.
