In this workshop, Thyannda Mack leads participants in an exploration of their own multifaceted identities and how their identities impact their daily lives and relationships. This interactive workshop helps participants understand their own experience, beliefs, biases, and challenges with identity through guided small group discussions, reflective exercises, and defining relevant concepts. We will begin with an exploration of your own identity to understand who you are and how that affects the way you interact with others. The exploration will then transition to learning about common identity-based barriers and strategies for overcoming them. Finally, we will workshop identity-based challenges that mental health professionals experience to strategize more effective approaches.

The workshops are founded on the belief that when individuals deeply connect to and understand their own identities, they are better able to contribute meaningfully to creating a more inclusive and equitable community. Meaningful understanding of and connection to identity allows people, communities, and organizations to build bonded relationships, create meaningful resolutions, and do the difficult work of challenging structural racism and bias.

Part 1: Exploring Your Identities

This workshop will cover the topic of identity with a deeper dive into the various aspects of identity. Then, the workshop will discuss the differences between social identities and personal identities and turn to a deeper dive into the participants own identities. The discussion will then explore the subjects of intersectionality and salience in the context of identity. Finally, we will discuss challenges faced when seeking to understand their identities and strategies for overcoming them. 

Objectives: 

• Explain the importance of understanding identity 
• Expand on the concepts of identity, social identity, personal identity, intersectionality, and salience 
• Discuss features of personal and social identity 
• Lead participants through examination and exploration of their own identities 
• Develop self-awareness 
• Lead participants to consider how their identities impact their interactions 
• Develop openness to new ways of seeing and understanding participant identities 
• Discuss challenges that arise when exploring identity 
• Propose tools and skills to further explore identity 

Part 2: Our Identities & Our Interactions

This workshop will cover the topic of identity and identity-based challenges that impact our interactions  with others. The workshop will discuss identity anxiety, stereotype threat, invisibility syndrome,  imposter syndrome, and the Dunning-Kruger effect. The workshop will then transition to  understanding privilege, supremacy, fragility, and assimilation. Finally, we will discuss what identities  and identity-based challenges we are bringing to our interactions, and strategies for developing a  growth mindset to improve our interactions. 

Objectives:

• Explain the role identity plays in our interactions 
• Expand on the concepts of identity anxiety, stereotype threat, invisibility syndrome, imposter  syndrome, and the Dunning-Kruger effect  
• Lead participants through examination and exploration of the ways their own identities  impact their interactions  
• Develop self-awareness  
• Lead participants to consider how their identities impact their interactions 
• Develop openness to new ways of seeing and understanding participant identities and  interactions  
• Discuss how identity impacts participants’ interactions  
• Propose tools and skills to further approach and think about interactions in new ways

Student discount and sliding scale available. Please contact us at chicagominds@gmail.com for details.

Workshop participants who opt to receive CE certification, please select the CEU option. This workshop fulfills requirement for 1.5 CE credits. CE sponsorship is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), credits are applicable to LCSW and transferrable to LCPC in Illinois. If you have a different licensure or are licensed outside of Illinois, please check with your licensure body before purchasing.

About the Speaker:

Thyannda Mack is the founder of Inclusive Resolutions LLC, where she helps organizations and individuals move toward resolution after incidents or disputes involving race, gender identity, sex, religious/spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, age, ability differences, ethnicity, nationality, or socioeconomic status. Her experiences as an attorney, educator, trauma survivor, and parent has made her adept at responding to and resolving identity-related incidents. She has 15+ years of experience in community engagement, facilitation, conflict resolution, and programming.

Thyannda has worked with the likes of the YWCA, DePaul University, Association for Conflict Resolution, University of Iowa, outpatient treatment centers, independent schools, community organizations, and professional organizations. Training and Certifications include Center for Conflict Resolution certified mediator, Illinois and Missouri licensed attorney, Diversity training with BUILD Diversity Training, Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity Project program, National Association for Law Placement Annual Education Conference, American Association of University Women White Privilege seminar, Chicago Women in Intellectual Property, Central Exchange Women at the Leading Edge program.