Beyond Cultural Competence: Providing Equity-Centered Mental Health Support
Friday, July 31, 9am - 11am
Program Summary This session explores how today’s sociopolitical climate impacts the mental health of marginalized communities, including immigrants, refugees, undocumented individuals, DACA recipients, and LGBTQ+ populations. Participants will learn practical advocacy strategies, equity-centered approaches, and tools for supporting individuals, families, and communities. Through reflection on systems of oppression, implicit bias, and social justice, attendees will gain skills to move beyond a competency-based model toward action-oriented advocacy that promotes mental health, inclusion, and community well-being.
Participants will:
- Understand how current social and legislative issues affect mental health and advocacy efforts.
- Develop practical skills to advocate for and support marginalized populations.
- Increase awareness of community resources and confidence in responding to client needs.
- Foster inclusive, compassionate conversations about mental health.
- Strengthen strategies for promoting community connection, education, and well-being.
Author Biography - Dr. Pamela Fullerton, PhD, LCPC, CCTP, CCATP, C-DBT, CGP, NCC
Dr. Pamela Fullerton is the Founder and Clinical Director of Advocacy & Education Consulting, a counseling and consulting organization dedicated to ensuring social justice and advocacy through access to mental health and well-being services. She is a Latina bilingual Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy professional (C-DBT), a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP), A Certified Grief Informed Professional (CGP), and a clinical supervisor and consultant. Dr. Fullerton is also a professional writer, international speaker, and workshop facilitator. She travels locally and internationally to educate on mental health, wellness, and prevention. Dr. Fullerton specializes in working with BIPOC communities, undocumented/immigrant communities, immigration and acculturation, trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and career counseling. She is an adjunct instructor in the Counselor Education department at Northeastern Illinois University and co-runs a nonprofit organization to support Latinx youth in the Chicagoland area. She volunteers as a contributing writer for publications discussing mental health topics and serves on mental health and health justice advisory councils.
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