Applying Advocacy Strategies for Client and Community Empowerment

Workshop Description

Behavior healthcare professions play an essential role in helping clients face complex systemic issues. Advocacy has long been an essential thread in the profession, yet many practitioners are challenged when implementing advocacy strategies. The American Counseling Association (ACA) Advocacy Competencies (2018) describes necessary counselor/practitioner skills, knowledge, and behavior that can be implemented to address systemic barriers and issues 3 facing clients or communities. Participants will learn about and apply the Advocacy Competencies to real-life situations, furthering culturally relevant practice for empowerment and wellness.

In this one and a half hours workshop, you will learn to:

1. Articulate an understanding of the ACA Advocacy Competencies
2. Apply ACA Advocacy Competencies to a case study
3. Describe possible applications in their work setting

Facilitator

Joseph Williams is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education at the University of Virginia. He is a faculty affiliate with Youth-Nex: The U.Va. Center to Promote Effective Youth Development and with the Center for Race and Public Education in the South. His primary research line focuses on resilience-based interventions and policies at the micro and macro levels that neutralized or offset the detrimental effect of racism and poverty on the academic, personal/social, and career development of K-12 students. His second inquiry line focuses on social justice and anti-racist training practices for (K-12) counselors, educators, and other helping professionals.

Besides publishing scholarly articles and book chapters in these areas, he also consults with school districts, communities, associations, and corporations. In 2019, he started Affirm Consulting, LLC to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts and engage people in productive dialogue and action. His most sought-after workshops address topics such as racism, anti-racism, microaggression, implicit bias, privilege, intersectionality, and prejudice. Dr. Williams earned his Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from the University of Iowa and his M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Minnesota State University.

Partnership

This Empower Series event is presented in partnership with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services (DBHDS).