About this course

Learning Objectives

• Examine the historical development of psychology within the context of colonialism by identifying specific practices and theories rooted in colonial ideologies.
• Discuss how these legacies manifest in ethical practices today, including self-disclosure, and brainstorm actionable strategies to address their influence.
• Identify how cultural factors (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status) impact the perceptions and practices of self-disclosure in therapy.
• Create case scenarios or role-plays to practice culturally sensitive approaches to self-disclosure.
• Introduce decolonial principles such as cultural humility, relational autonomy, and reciprocal dialogue.
• Engage in small group activities to develop and present actionable recommendations for integrating these principles into ethical practices around self-disclosure in psychology.

Learning Levels

• All

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Jenny Hughes, PhD

  enny Hughes, PhD Jenny Hughes, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and PTSD. She supports helpers and healers through the common experience of vicarious trauma as the founder of The BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective. Jenny helps trauma therapists be human again as they learn how to manage vicarious trauma and enhance vicarious resilience together. As a clinician, she practices Brainspotting, EMDR, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Jenny is the author of The PTSD Recovery Workbook and Triggers to Glimmers: A Vicarious Resilience Journal and Workbook.

• 

  Tawanna Woolfolk, LCSW

  awanna Woolfolk, LCSW and EMDR-CIT With over 20 years of clinical experience specializing in complex trauma treatment and integrated wellness services, Tawanna Woolfolk is a licensed clinical social worker with an MSW from Smith College School of Social Work. Woolfolk is certified as an EMDR therapist, Trauma Professional, and Grief Specialist. She is in private practice at Sacred Ground Institute, LLC where she is also the director and CEO. Tawanna grew up in the foster care system after suffering malnutrition, educational neglect, sexual and physical trauma. Tawanna always intuitively knew who were the right people to steward her through towards resiliency and has committed her life to planting mustard seeds of hope and faith through her clinical work, public speaking, training, education, supervision and consultation.

References

• Wright, A. J., Bergkamp, J., Williams, N., Garcia-Lavin, B., & Reynolds, A. L. (2025). Privilege in the room: Training future psychologists to work with power, privilege, and intersectionality within the therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapy.
• Sodhi, P. K. (2024). Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy for BIPOC Communities: Decolonizing Mental Health. Taylor & Francis.
• Bergkamp, J., O’Leary Sloan, M., Krizizke, J., Lash, M., Trantel, N., Vaught, J., ... & Olson, L. (2023). Pathways to the therapist paragon: a decolonial grounded theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1185762.
• Phiri, P., Rathod, S., Gobbi, M., Carr, H., & Kingdon, D. (2019). Culture and therapist self-disclosure. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 12, e25.
• Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., Worthington, E. L., & Utsey, S. O. (2013). Cultural humility: Measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(3).
• Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma.
• Fisher, M. (2014). Trauma-informed care and cultural humility in therapy. Journal of Counseling and Development, 92(4), 450-456.