Thursday, February 21

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 34

Terrorism Wins? - Xenophobia, Hate Crimes, Community Trauma and the Group Therapy Response

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Diversity SIG

Chair: 

Siddharth Ashvin Shah, M.D., MPH, Principal, Psychosocial Assistance Without Borders, Washington, DC

After the Oklahoma City bombing and 9/11 WTC attacks, large group impulses for revenge and other sociopolitical factors contributed to xenophobia, hate crimes, and ethnic targeting. Group therapists who are prepared to address terrorized populations have a vanguard role in mitigating a society’s impulse to racialize threat, fear, and retaliation.
didactic-experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences
 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:
1. Develop capacities for group-specific interventions that address Xenophobia, Hate Crimes, and Community Trauma.
2. Identify barriers and resistances to working with populations vulnerable to Backlash.
3. Interrogate the processes by which societies racialize threat, fear and retaliation.
 

Course References:  

1. Shah, S. (manuscript). Hate Crimes and Backlash -- Mental Health and Social Service Needs of the Arab, South Asian and Muslim communities following the 9/11 crisis.
2. Thomas, N. (2006). Efforts To Prevent Terrorism: Impact on Immigrant Groups. 131-144. In Collateral damage: The psychological consequences of America's war on terrorism. Kimmel, P. R. and Stout, C. E. (Eds); Westport, CT, US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
3. Volkan, V. (2004). Blind Trust: Large groups and their leaders in times of crisis and terror. Charlottesville, VA: Pitchstone Publishing.