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University of Maryland School of Social Work Continuing Professional Education Fall Seminar

The Invisible Wounds of Oppression and Their Impact on the Helping Relationship
Kenneth V. Hardy, PhD
Friday, October 23, 2009

Helping relationships with members of oppressed groups are often complicated by the presence of invisible wounds. These wounds are the culmination of ongoing experiences with injustice, degradation, and discrimination. While the invisible wounds of oppression may not be readily discernible to clinician or client, they have a profound impact on the course of therapy and its outcome. Practioners’ lack of awareness and empathy for the wounds of oppression can stifle the joining process and unwittingly contribute to ways of being and interventions that are counterproductive. Such innocent acts are often the unspoken, unacknowledged, micro-acts that contribute to the premature termination of helping relationships. This leads to the misconception those members of oppressed groups are resistant to actively engaging in helping relationships.

This workshop will examine the anatomy of oppression and its impact on the life experiences of those who are targeted. It will explore the multitudinous ways in which such relationships potentially replicate acts of oppression for clients. Strategies for uncovering and addressing the invisible wounds of oppression will be discussed. Participants also will be encouraged to explore the ways in which their personal experiences with oppression both enrich and constrain their work.

This seminar will influence the work of social workers and human service providers in all practice areas including individuals, families, communities and systems.

Learning Objectives

After attending this workshop participants will be able to:

1. Identify the levels of oppression and explain how they differ;

2. Identify the invisible wounds of oppression;

3. Effectively assess and treat the invisible wounds of oppression;

4. Identify three strategies practioners might employ when working from an oppression-sensitive framework;

5. Understand how their experiences with oppression (or the lack there of) may impact the relationship between practitioner and client.

Kenneth V. Hardy, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized clinician, author, educator, and consultant. He is a Professor of Family Therapy at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Director of the Eikenberg Institute for Relationships in New York City. Dr. Hardy has earned considerable acclaim for the contributions that his numerous publications and videotapes have made toward challenging the field to think critically about issues of diversity and oppression. He has published prolifically and is the co-author of a new book, Revisioning Family Therapy: Race, Class, and Gender in Clinical Practice. He is also co-author of “Teens Who Hurt: Clinical Interventions for Breaking the Cycle of Violence” and “Minorities and Family Therapy.” He is a frequent contributor to the popular print and electronic media and has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dateline NBC, 20/20, PBS, and the Discovery Health Channel.

Friday, October 23, 2009 8:45a.m. – 4:15p.m., Baltimore, $135, CEUs: 6

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