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This is a group for students of color at WKU who are interested in giving and receiving support for living with racial stress and learning how to help ourselves and others harmed by racism. Students of color who identify their races as Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Natives, or Multiracial are welcome to join us. International students of color are also welcome to join us.

With the intention to create a safe and caring space, we will meet via Zoom biweekly throughout the semester to address the personal and interpersonal impact of racism on ourselves and engage in emotionally difficult self-reflections and dialogues. We will explore ways to work with racial distress and its impact on our personal and social identities and well-being, heal from racial trauma collectively, and be empowered to be change agents in our own lives. We will also practice mindfulness as a psychological skill to attend our minds, hearts, and bodies, with kindness, curiosity, and openness. We will learn how to manage our reactions to external and internal stressors, take care of our own emotional needs, and reconnect to our inner resources, while cultivating equanimity, courage, and compassion within us.

The first session is designed to help acclimating participants to the purpose of this group and one another, learning how to be mindful of ourselves and our relationships, and reviewing some vocabulary and concepts that are relevant to possible topics to be explored in this group. In each following session, a topic will be proposed by the facilitator to set the parameters for self-reflections and dialogues. Participants are encouraged to commit to attend all 6 sessions. Some readings may be assigned to stimulate and deepen self-reflections. Blackboard discussion may be utilized between sessions for ongoing support and continued dialogues.

*Although the facilitator is a mental health professional, this support group is not designed to be a group therapy treatment for PTSD or any other mental disorders. If you have any questions or concerns about whether or not this support group is appropriate for your needs and interests, please contact Masami Matsuyuki, Ph.D. (masami.matsuyuki@wku.edu) at WKU Counseling Center before you register.

Click the link to register with your WKU email address: 
https://wku.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkf-CrqD0tHtbcUdEJMEBUH4YwBoTBeiIf

WKU Zoom Portal: http://wku.zoom.us