with
Dr. Demetria DeLia & Rev. Dr.Glenmore Bembry, Jr.
Brown Bag Lunch Series
June 19th 2024 12:00 – 1:00 pm
On Zoom – 1 CE
The trauma of slavery has intergenerational effects that can unfold clinically through transference. This requires the therapist to be self-aware of the impact of societal values that may surface in countertransference enactments. Clients who have suffered through societal racism may bring personal unconscious family dynamics into the therapeutic relationship, as well as issues of trust in a dyad where white therapists treat diverse clients.
On June 19th, 1865, US General Gordon Granger took control in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved people that they were free, and the Civil War was officially ended. Thus, Juneteenth was important to formerly enslaved people in this country as the date of their liberation. In Texas, formerly enslaved people and their descendants celebrated the event annually, keeping alive the importance of the 1865 date. Texas became the first state to name Juneteenth a state holiday. Still, it was not until 2018 that the Texas Board of Education finally voted to document in school curricula that slavery was the leading cause of the Civil War.
On June 17th, 2021, President Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a national holiday, recognizing that the history of slavery is a shameful blight America should admit rather than ignore. That prolonged 156-year resistance to acknowledgment highlights how the trauma of slavery can still be an open wound for many in its aftermath. We must be mindful of this cultural legacy, especially among those seeking therapy who bring with them the historical enslavement of their ancestors.
Course Objectives – Participants will learn to:
- To sensitize clinicians to the racism integral to the founding doctrines of the United States
- To understand how clients in psychotherapy may continue to be affected by the trauma of slavery
- To identify transference and countertransference dynamics that unfold as a result of bias
- To discuss the historical significance of Juneteenth and the importance of recognizing the psychic scars of slavery that clients may carry into current therapeutic relationships
Dr. Demetria DeLia, PhD.
Dr. DeLia is a faculty member, training analyst, supervisor and Dean of Research at ACAP/ICPS. Dr. DeLia holds a MSW degree and a MA in Education and is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Team.
Rev. Dr. Glenmore Bembry, Jr.
Rev. Dr. Glenmore Bembry, Jr., a native of Hawkinsville, Georgia, holds degrees from Montclair State University (BS), Colgate Rochester Divinity School (MDiv), and New York Theological Seminary (DMin). With 40 years as an American Baptist Senior Pastor, he founded Life Quakes Coaching Consulting Ministries, focusing on integrating faith and mental health. Currently, he is pursuing certification as a mental health coach at ACAP. Dr. Bembry is Interim Pastor of the historic First Baptist Peddie Memorial Church in Newark, NJ, and has served as an Adjunct Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Bloomfield College for 32 years.
For questions or information email Cassio Campello at
[email protected] or call 973-629-1002
ACAP is an approved CE provider for:
Art Therapists — Counselors
Marriage and Family Counselors
NJ Psychoanalysts — NJ Social Workers
NY Creative Arts Therapists
Psychologists
For full CE Information- visit our website: https://acapnj.org/ce-information/
