Social workers and other providers will learn how to assist their clients through the process of understanding their cultural identity to remain resilient throughout their lives. They will also look into their own cultural identity as a way to become self-aware.

Objectives:

Participants will learn how to help their clients use their identified ethnic culture, family history, and the culture around them to remain resilient during situations and circumstances that may cause them to have an emotional response individually or as a community.

Participants will learn ways to help their clients explore their culture and find the strength they need to move through difficult times, as well as learn new coping skills to manage thoughts and feelings.

Participants will take a look at their own identified culture as a way to increase their self-awareness.

Bio of Presenter:

Dr. Kimberly Riley is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified child mental health specialist in the state of Washington. She received her Doctor of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California, MA in Couples and Family Therapy from Seattle University, and BA in Psychology from Brandman University. Dr. Riley has experience working with children in the community mental health setting and is passionate about their behavioral health needs, although she currently works mostly with couples and families in the private practice setting. She uses a Narrative Therapy approach so that each person has the opportunity to find beauty in their story and see the problem outside of themselves. Dr. Riley enjoys public speaking and leading groups on topics ranging from cultural awareness to child and parent relationship issues. She promotes the idea that preventative therapy is a way to reduce the growing rates of behavioral health problems in children. She created the project “Narrative Therapy-Based Preventative Therapy for Children Living in Poverty” to give back to children in communities who cannot afford to have therapy in the preventative stage.