Upcoming Cohorts:
June 4 - July 9, 2026 (online, 12 CE's)
Sept. 1 - Oct. 6, 2026 (online, 12 CE's)
Halloween Retreat 2026 (in-person in New Orleans, 18 CE's)
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.
Tree of life by Satyakam Garg
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2026 Dates:June/July 2026 Online Cohort meets Thursdays, 5:00-7:00pm PST over Zoom: 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 7/2, 7/9
Cultural theme: Ancestral Lands & Plants Cost: $900 Number of CE credits: 12 September/October 2026 Online Cohort meets Tuesdays, 5:00-7:00pm PST over Zoom: 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6
Cultural theme: Getting to Know our Ancestors Cost: $900 Number of CE credits: 12 Halloween Retreat 2026 In-Person in New Orleans: Thursday 10/29 - Sunday 11/1
Cultural theme: Ancestral Spiritual Traditions Cost: $1800 Number of CE credits: 18 |
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 a single 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 being able to develop a stronger working alliance with clients, achieve higher rates of improvement, and being able to repair relationships following ruptures in counseling.
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Tree of life by Stanislawa Bakula
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More about the 2026 cohort themes:
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JUNE/JULY ONLINE
Ancestral Lands & Plants |
SEPT/OCT ONLINE
Getting to Know our Ancestors |
HALLOWEEN IN-PERSON RETREAT
Ancestral Spiritual Traditions |
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Vibe check — what you can expect from this CE experience: |
Formal learning objectives:
“Ancestral Cultural Competence: A Soul-Centered CE Journey for Therapists” aims to:
- Identify components of participants’ cultural heritages that are new and meaningful to participants;
- Discuss how these new understandings of participants’ cultural identities changes how they see themselves as therapists;
- Assess how participants’ deepened cultural identities may change how they approach their practice and clients; and
- Demonstrate the ability to generate relevant questions about cultural identity.