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Tuesday, February 21st, 12PM-1PM: Infusing Therapeutic Evidence-based Practices with Southeast Indigenous Traditions

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Topic: Sharnel Vale-Jones, Yaagál (She/Her) will present on infusing therapeutic evidence-based practices with Southeast Indigenous traditions. She will draw on her experiences from her clinical training and while working with participants at the Tlingit & Haida Community and Behavioral Services (CBS) Healing Center. She will give an overview of multicultural competence, discuss her process of indigenizing Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, provide examples, and close with a mindfulness exercise infused with indigenous practice. Come learn how to provide culturally responsive care to SE Indigenous peoples.

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Presenter: Sharnel Vale-Jones (Yaagál) is Lingít, Kwaashk’IKwáan (Raven, Humpy Salmon), Dis hítdaxáyáxat (Moon house) from Yakutat. She holds a B.A. in Counseling Psychology and is currently in the fourth year of her Clinical-Community Psychology Ph.D. program. She spent 9 years with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium serving Alaska Native people through various roles ranging from networking to rural energy efficiency to tobacco prevention counseling. She also has provided community mental health services to adults, children, and families since Fall 2020 both via telehealth and in-person.

Sharnel has a client-centered (and family-centered) approach to counseling, meeting the client and their families where they are at in their journey to healing. She understands that individuals belong to many social groups that may intersect (ethnicity, indigeneity, LGBTQX, ability, etc.); therefore, providing culturally responsive, individually tailored care is critical to her therapy practice. Furthermore, being Lingít, yet training under Western worldviews, Sharnel is passionate about blending the two worlds, infusing culture with western evidence-based practice. Sharnel has experience with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Inter-personal Social Rhythm Therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy, and Family Therapy. 

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Tuesday, March 14th 12PM-1PM

Topic: Gender Affirming Mental Health Care

This session will be primarily directed toward therapists, service providers, counselors and case managers who are interested in becoming more gender affirming and work toward competence in working with the gender expansive folx in your practice, agency or life.  We will discuss the necessity and importance of a gender affirming approach when working with clients and discuss the many ways people may transition to become more authentic. We will touch on the practical ways to become more gender affirming and break down barriers for those seeking mental health and related services. Resources will be provided, as well.

Margie Thomson (she/her) is a cisgender queer LCSW who has focused on affirming gender therapy for the past 10 years. She works in private practice, Koru Counseling, and works primarily with folx who are transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive; as well as with their partners, and families. She also provides supervision to other social workers and counselors interested in gender therapy and provides consultations to agencies, groups and businesses. Margie currently has 4 support groups happening for gender expansive people :

• T-Group-monthly support group for all genders

• TransFeminine-biweekly support group for those who identify as transfeminine

• TransFamilies-monthly group for parents in Alaska with transgender children

• Gender Youth Support Group-monthly for ages 13-19 with NAMI and Zach Gordon

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