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When it comes to supporting another person in a one-on-one container, in couples counseling, or when facilitating groups, our cultural self-awareness and cultural humility matter. Having a cultural identity (or identities) of our own, with elements that nourish our soul and bring meaning to our lives, makes a big difference in terms of: our therapeutic presence, the questions we think to ask, and how we resource and care for ourselves outside our practice. |
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However as Americans, many of us are separated from our ancestral cultures. For many of us, the process of our families “becoming American” and/or surviving the U.S. meant giving up our ancestral cultures. Many of us don't know where to start with this journey of ancestral reconnection. This continuing education course is for therapists who want support exploring and deepening their cultural identities and understanding of their ancestral cultures. “Ancestral Cultural Competence: A Soul-Centered CE Journey for Therapists” supports participants with intentionally gaining new knowledge about their ancestors, ancestral cultures, and their own cultural identity. During this course, you will be guided in connecting with your ancestral heritages through the lenses of decolonial studies, racial justice, and psychotherapy. |
From Tales of the Amber Sea, Illustration by Anatoly Bilyukin
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The course is called “a soul-centered journey” because this material is emotionally and even spiritually deep for participants – you’ll be invited to do soul work. That’s why it’s helpful to have a decolonial spiritual counselor as your guide. Each cohort of "Ancestral Cultural Competence" uses a cultural theme to give us a doorway into our ancestral reconnection process.
About your guide, Katherine Saviskas, she/her
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Katherine Saviskas, she/her, is a spiritual counselor, coach, educator, and PhD researcher whose work sits at the intersection of psychology, cultural identity, racial justice, and ancestral reconnection. Katherine has more than 20 years of experience in anti-racism education and racial justice work, with a particular interest in how cultural and ancestral identity shapes the ways we understand ourselves and relate to others. She is especially interested in the role of ancestral reconnection in psychological and societal decolonization. Her teaching invites participants to explore their own cultural identities, ancestral histories, and relationships to power and privilege as dimensions of both personal and professional development. Katherine holds a Master’s in East West Psychology and a certificate in Spiritual Counseling from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), a coaching certification from Wisdom of the Whole, and a Master’s in Urban Education from Temple University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in East West Psychology at CIIS. |
Tree of life by Satyakam Garg
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FEB/MARCH 2027 (ONLINE)
Getting to Know Your Ancestors' Stories Wednesdays, 3:00-5:00pm PST over Zoom: 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10 We will research and gather our ancestors' stories, focusing on individual ancestors' lives and/or our ancestral folk tales, mythologies, and cultural stories. Stepping up as storytellers, we will practice telling these stories, to our family members, our friends, and each other. As the stories we tell shape who we are, this work reshapes our self-understandings and how we share who we are.
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APRIL 2027 RETREAT (IN PERSON)
Folk Arts of Your Ancestors New Orleans: 4/9, 4/10, 4/11, 4 hours per day: 9:30am - 2:30pm (with 1 hour lunch) In this hands-on, in-person journey, we will research and practice doing the folk arts of our ancestors together in New Orleans. Diving into a study of our ancestors' visual arts and artisan crafts, we will learn what symbols were significant in our ancestors' lives and practice incorporating them into our own present lives, encountering which ways feel meaningful to us personally.
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These CE courses and workshops are co-sponsored by Samavaya Psychology. Samavaya Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Samavaya Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Please see SamavayaPsychology.com for complete CE information.
What research says about connecting with our ancestral cultures:
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Research shows that cultural self-awareness and cultural humility require increasing our cultural knowledge and understanding of our own cultural heritages. Research also shows that this involves taking time to learn where our ancestors are from and reflecting on the roots of our cultural heritages. For many, this deep work involves uncovering stories and understandings that are not currently known by their families.
Research shows that cultural connection between therapists and clients is more nuanced than sharing an identity — therapists having a deep, more nuanced understanding of their own cultural identities is crucial for cultural humility and cultural connection with clients. Studies show engaging clients with cultural humility can be beneficial to the process and outcome of psychotherapy, including:
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Tree of life by Stanislawa Bakula
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Tree of Life in New Orleans City Park
Mural in New Orleans
Outdoor restaurant in New Orleans
Vibe of retreat location in New Orleans
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Formal learning objectives for 12-CE experiences:
- Participants identify components of their ancestral cultural heritages that are new and meaningful to them, personally and professionally, as both impact how they show up as a therapist.
- Participants discuss and reflect on how their changing understandings of their ancestral cultural identities changes how they see themselves as therapists.
- Participants leave course aware of how their deepened ancestral cultural identities change how they want to approach their practice and clients.
- Participants leave course with improved ability to generate relevant questions about cultural identity.
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SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE TO RECEIVE
ANCESTRAL GUIDANCE EVERY NEW MOON |
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