With increasing frequency, professional counselors are needed to respond to communities that have experienced major traumatic events. Although it has been documents that counselors are called upon to respond to these crises, there is concern that these mental health practitioners may lack sufficient cultural competence to work effectively with diverse groups of clients. This webinar will provide background information on the socio-historical nature of trauma within socially and culturally marginalized communities and highlight evidence-based interventions that can be used to facilitate recovery and empowerment.
Cirecie A. West-Olatunji, Ph.D. serves as associate professor and director of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research at Xavier University of Louisiana. She is also a past president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and has served as secretary of Division E: Counseling and Human Development in the American Educational Research Association. Nationally, Dr. West-Olatunji has initiated several clinical research projects that focus on culture-centered community collaborations designed to address issues rooted in systemic oppression, such as transgenerational trauma and traumatic stress. Her publications include three co-authored books, several book chapters, and over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. West-Olatunji has delivered research papers throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Resources, books, articles:
West-Olatunji, C., & Yoon, E. (2014, Spring). Ferry Boat Disaster in South Korea. American Counseling Association Podcast Series, ACA229.
West-Olatunji, C., Henesy, R., & Varney, M. (2014). Group work during international disaster outreach projects: A model to advance cultural competence. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 40 (1), 38-54.
Goodman, R. D., Miller, M. D., & West-Olatunji, C. A. (2012). Traumatic stress, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement among primary school students. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 4(3), 252. DOI: 10.1037/a0024912
West-Olatunji, C. (2012). The engaged practitioner: Reaching out to marginalized communities. In J. Carlson, & J. Kottler (Eds.), Helping beyond the 50 minute hour: Therapists involved in REAL social action (pp. 245-256). New York: Routledge press.
West-Olatunji, C., & Goodman, R. (2011). Entering Communities: Social justice oriented disaster response counseling. Journal of Humanistic Counseling Education and Development, 50, 172-182.
West-Olatunji, C., & Conwill, W. (2010). Counseling African Americans, a book in the Supplementary Monograph Series to accompany D. Choudhuri, A. L. Santiago-Rivera, & M. Garrett, Multicultural Counseling Competency. Boston: Houghlin Mifflin Publishers.
Goodman, R. D., & West-Olatunji, C. A. (2010). Educational hegemony, traumatic stress, and African American and Latino American students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 38(3), 176-186.
West-Olatunji, C., & St Juste, S. (2010). Stress and Haitian Americans, After the earthquake. American Counseling Association Podcast Series, ACA086.
Goodman, R. D., & West-Olatunji, C. A. (2009).Traumatic stress, systemic oppression, and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans. Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1, 80-97. Retrieved from http://repositories.cdlib.org/ucsb_ed/spaces/vol1/iss2/art5.
Goodman, R., & West-Olatunji, C. (2009). Cultural competency and disaster response. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87, 458-465.
Goodman, R. D., & West-Olatunji, C. A. (2008). Transgenerational trauma and resilience: Improving mental health counseling for survivors on Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 30, 121-136.
Davis, E. S., & West-Olatunji, C. (2008, Fall). Culture-centered interventions to address trauma and crisis in schools: Learning from an outreach trip to Southern Africa. ACES Spectrum, 69 (1), 8-12.
Goodman, R. D., & West-Olatunji, C. A. (2008). Traumatic stress, systemic oppression, and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans. Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1(2). Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/4x8082z1
West-Olatunji, C., & Goodman, R. (2007). Culture-centered mental health disaster interventions with children and adolescents. Proceedings of the 12th International Counseling Conference: Shanghai, China, 12, 41-44.