As behavioral health and mental health agencies aim to provide more access and available supports to diverse communities and people who have historically been oppressed or marginalized, there is a substantial need to understand how to engage with different cultural beliefs and values, and have an awareness of one’s own biases, privilege and recognize where discriminatory practices could take place. This 90-minute webinar will discuss the impact of personal bias, how it impacts the people we serve, and what culturally thoughtful and affirming work can look like as a behavioral health professional.
Items we will focus on during this webinar:
- Personal bias: begin with awareness, recognize hot buttons and what comes up for you?
- How does bias impact the work you do as a behavioral health professional?
- What would personal work look like from a starting point?
- Have you reflected on the privilege you bring into the work as a behavioral health professional?
- What does being culturally thoughtful and affirming mean when working as a behavioral health professional?
Bianca Andrews is a Washington based peer support practice manager, community care advocate, facilitator and trainer in organizational practices and behavioral health care. With focus on community care with intentionality and from a culturally affirming practice lens, Bianca aims to deliver information and perspective that creates critical thinking and space to consider elevated possibilities of support for all persons, and specifically aims to amplify the need to shift our support in a more meaningful way for persons who have historically been under resourced, marginalized and oppressed. Over the last 25 years, Bianca has provided her experience in peer support to the military and mental health communities, consulted and presented in various projects affecting community members at the local, state and national level. As a community caregiver, person living with mental health and generational trauma experience, mental health and military community member and advocate, Bianca is unrelenting and unreserved in their support of Indigenous Sovereignty.
