N/NY-TR6153 - Examining Historical Trauma: The Epigenetics of Communities and Why Intersectionality Matters

Description

Trauma is a large topic within the mental health profession, yet discussions often omit historical trauma. An examination of historical trauma will be presented as well as an analytic look at treatments and their connections to oppressive practice. A proposal for ethical work with historical traumas will be shared.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to define historical trauma, intergenerational trauma, and epigenetics.
Participants will be able to identify three oppressive practices used in contemporary trauma treatment as well as three ways in which they can practice trauma-informed work in an intersectional, historically-respectful manner.
Participants will identify three benefits of using a community-driven, collaborative model of care.

Melanie Heindl

Melanie Heindl, MS, ATR, LPC is an art therapist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin currently serving as a Clinical Services Supervisor in an outpatient mental health clinic. Melanie specializes in developmental and complex traumas, working specifically with youth and their families involved in juvenile justice and child welfare. She is a doctoral student at Mount Mary University, where she serves as adjunct faculty in the graduate art therapy department. She received her Masters at Mount Mary in 2012. Her current work focuses on anti-oppressive trauma focused practice.