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Using a Somatic Approach for BIPOC Clients

A simple and effective mindfulness exercise with Dr. Chinwé Williams, PhD

Chinwé Williams

2020 was unique for everyone. Our nervous systems were in collective overload and clinicians – especially therapists who work in trauma – experienced high stress levels whilst treating their high-stress clients.

Although stressed clinicians treating high-stress clients was common pre-pandemic, Chinwé Williams, PhD, noticed an increased number of adolescent, college students, and professionals of color seeking to restart counselling or begin that process for the very first time.

Rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, queasy stomachs, and tension are some signs of physical distress that clients of all racial and ethnic backgrounds arrive to therapy with. We don't simply think anxious thoughts, we feel anxiety.

As a mindfulness-based, attachment-focused, somatic therapist, Dr. Williams has found opportunities to practice mindfulness exercises with her Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) clients. The key to managing distress, anxiety, and overall well-being lies in self-understanding, so Dr. Williams utilizes a mindfulness exercise to help ground clients and begin the process of learning to ground themselves before the intake process even begins.

In this video, Dr. Williams invites you to practice a mindfulness exercise to use with your BIPOC clients to help them in the process of learning deeper self-awareness, how to regulate their nervous system, and manage their anxiety before it spirals from tolerable to overwhelming.
Beyond Cultural Competency Summit
Beyond Cultural Competency Summit
When cultural, racial, and other differences stand between you and your clients it can shake the foundation of therapy and threaten the connection and trust central to exceptional treatment.

That’s why we’re inviting you to our first-ever Beyond Cultural Competency Summit on February 23-24, 2023, where you’ll join the experts redefining how we work with diverse clients in some of the most tumultuous times we’ve ever seen.


Meet the Expert:

Chinwé Williams, PhD, is a licensed and board-certified and certified EMDR therapist in the state of Georgia. She is a former graduate counseling professor, college and high school counselor, and executive coach. She currently serves as a consultant for K-12 schools, non-profit, faith-based, and corporate work settings. Her expertise lies in areas of trauma recovery, stress/anxiety management, adolescent and women’s wellness, race-related traumatic stress, and equity centered trauma informed education. Dr. Williams has been on the faculty of multiple graduate programs, including Rollins College, Georgia State University, Argosy University, and University of Central Florida. As a graduate counseling professor spanning over 12 years, Dr. Williams has taught Multicultural Counseling and Trauma Impact & Recovery at several different universities.

Learn more about her educational products, including upcoming live seminars, by clicking here.

Topic: Anxiety/Depression | Cultural, Social, & Racial Issues | Mindfulness

Tags: Anxiety | Cultural Diffferences | Culture | Mindfulness | Mindfulness Exercises | Race in therapy

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