Working with Marginalized Couples Healing the impact of Systemic Trauma

Course Description:

BIPOC and LGBTQI Persons are often denied life experiences that will allow them to develop safe, and intimate relationships with their partners. For these groups, relationality and intimacy can feel like an elusive privilege. This is because trauma that exists in the form of horrors such as racism, transphobia, biphobia, homophobia and historical trauma can severely compromise their ability to create and sustain healthy romantic partnerships. In this training, we will examine the concept of “Relational Privilege” and outline assessment frames, which can give us some insight into the impact of systemic trauma on the couple's intimacy. We will then explore clear intervention steps for supporting minoritized couples to deepen their intimacy in the face of systemic trauma. All of this work is done against a backdrop of epistemological hybridism and liberation psychology. These two frames are critical to centering the experience and knowledge of minoritized couples and helping them to challenge oppressive systems that threaten the health of their relationships.