Unsafe in a Safe Space: Microaggressions in the Therapeutic Relationship

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Workshop Description:

Many of us have learned and talked about microaggressions in various settings, but what about in the therapy space? What happens when we convey a microaggression towards our client? What happens when our client conveys a microaggression towards us? Is it always ok to address the client directly? Is it ever ok? We will unpack these questions and more as we process how to manage microaggressions when they emerge during our work with clients. 

Workshop Objectives:

• Identify both overt and covert microaggressions.
• List ways to address microaggressions with a client, and distinguish when it is therapeutically appropriate to do so.
• Explain how their own biases and backgrounds affect their clinical work with clients from demographic groups that are similar to and different from their own.

About the Presenter:

Aesha L. Uqdah, Psy.D. is the Director of the Counseling Center at the University of Louisville. She is a Chicago native, and attended The University of Michigan (B.A., 2000), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (M.A., 2004) and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology (Psy.D., 2009). Her clinical interests in include multicultural/diversity issues, LGBTQ concerns, anxiety & depression, health psychology, and stress management; she uses Cognitive Behavioral, Interpersonal, and Multicultural theories and interventions in her clinical work. Dr. Uqdah has held adjunct faculty status at UofL and at Spalding University, and taught courses related to the clinical applications of multicultural psychology on both campuses. She strongly believes in the concept of the University as a community and the importance of decreasing the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly as it applies to racial, cultural, and sexual minorities. To that end, Dr. Uqdah serves on UofL’s Student Care Team and is the chair of the Student Affairs Diversity Committee and the GROWTH Mindset Committee.

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