Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC

Executive Director, AllCEUs

Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox and Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery

~ Define social justice

~ Explore the goals of social justice education to include

~ Identity

~ Diversity

~ Justice

~ Action

Define Social Justice

~ The National Association of Social Workers defines social justice as “the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities.”

Why Is Social Justice Important in Counseling

~ In what ways can a social justice education assist clients…

~ Emotionally

~ Cognitively

~ Socially

~ Occupationally

~ Physically

~ In what ways can a social justice education assist counselors

~ Identify community needs and strengths

~ Help clients tap into appropriate resources

~ Connect with and better understand clients

Social Justice

~ Discrimination and bias contribute to

~ Emotional: Stress

~ Cognitive: Low elf esteem and self-efficacy, creation of erroneous biases,

~ Interpersonal: Conflict

~ Occupational/Environmental: Reduced access to opportunities and services and a reduction in

What is the Impact

~ Women are bad at math

~ During the last 30 years, the gaps in these scores have dropped dramatically in the U.S. In some nations (like Indonesia and Iceland), women outperform men in the tip-top of mathematical performance.

~ Stereotype susceptibility Asian-American women who were reminded of their Asian identities their math performance improved, while reminders of their femininity had the opposite effect.

~ People with mental illness are dangerous

~ – “…the vast majority of people who are violent do not suffer from mental illnesses (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).“

~ only 3 to 5 percent of violent acts can be attributed to serious mental illness. (mentalhealth.gov)

~ People with mental illness are bad employees

~ Many are medicated and asymptomatic

~ About 18% of workers in the U.S. report having a mental health condition in any given month. (The NSDUH Report https://www.samhsa.gov/data/population-data-nsduh. The ADA National Network https://adata.org/factsheet/health)

~ Criminals are bad people

~ All people with addictions are criminals

Identity

~ Students will develop positive social identities based on their membership in multiple groups in society.

~ Students will develop language and historical and cultural knowledge that affirm and accurately describe their membership in multiple identity groups.

~ Students will recognize that people’s multiple identities interact and create unique and complex individuals.

~ Students will express pride, confidence and healthy self-esteem without denying the value and dignity of other people.

~ Students will recognize traits of the dominant culture, their home culture and other cultures and understand how they negotiate their own identity in multiple spaces.

~ Take 5 minutes and complete the sentence “I am a _______________” as many times as needed to define who you are.

~ I am a mother, daughter, teacher, business owner, friend, college graduate, farmer, advocate for animal welfare, runner, white, female, Christian, middle class…

~ What does it mean to be a part of each of those groups?

~ Which identities interact (i.e. animal welfare and farmer; business owner and mother)?

~ How does each of my identities impact my interactions with others and the world?

~ How does each of these identities impact my work with clients?

~ As part of a class project, R