PSCSW Clinical Book Discussion Program Presents Intergenerational Trauma and the Detrimental Effects of Caste Systems

PSCSW Clinical Book Discussion Program

Presents

Intergenerational Trauma and the Detrimental Effects of Caste Systems

The Book: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Clinical Title: Intergenerational Trauma and the Detrimental Effects of Caste Systems

Facilitator: Deborah Shain, MSS, LCSW, BCD

Date: Sunday, February 27, 2022

Time: 11:00-2:00 || 3 CEUs

Place: Zoom Online Meeting: Link will be sent after registration

About The Book:

In her book Caste, Isabel Wilkerson examines extant caste systems around the world and how living in a caste-based society damages the lives of everyone, even those assigned positions at the top.  She makes the case for understanding that the racial tensions in the United States are better explained through the lens of caste, not race -- a 400-year-old hierarchy placing White people at the top and Black people at the bottom. We will consider her statement: “A Caste System build rivalry and distrust and lack of empathy toward one’s fellows. The result is that the United States, for all its wealth and innovation, lags in major indicators of quality of life among the leading countries of the world.”

Wilkerson, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Humanities Medal, believes that to understand how to move forward, we must examine the past and acknowledge embedded caste structures that make progress as a nation elusive. In her book, Wilkerson explores: the basics of caste theory, the eight tenets of a caste system, how the caste system affects the lives of people in the upper and the lower castes, and how we can move away from adhering to a caste structure to create a more equitable and healthier society.

Clinical Objectives:

By reading this book and participating in the discussion, participants will:

1. Define caste as a social construct and review its history in the US.
2. Examine the overt and covert purposes of Caste Systems.
3. Analyze the psychological impact on those assigned to the top caste and lower castes.
4. Expose unconscious biases of castes and effects on the disfavored as well as on the behaviors of the more privileged.

About The Facilitator:

Deborah Shain, MSS, LCSW, BCD, is an educator and clinical supervisor and is Chair of the Professional Standards, Ethics, and Licensing Committee and is a long-time Board member of the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work. In her Elkins Park private practice, she specializes in relationship therapy and individual treatment of adults seeking insight regarding their behavior and interactions with their families. She coaches executives, professionals, and graduate students seeking success in their professional and academic settings. She taught Crisis Intervention and Group Dynamics at Cabrini College, and at Drexel University Medical School, she teaches psychiatry residents “Human Sexuality: Interventions and Treatment for Patients with Sexual Concerns.” Deborah has written essays based on Margaret Mahler’s Developmental point of view, and authored two medical education books: Study Skills and Test-Taking Strategies for Medical Students: Find and Use Your Personal Learning Style, published by Springer-Verlag.

This event is open to PSCSW members only. 

Participants who attend this program must be present for its entirety in order to get continuing education credits.

Cancellation Policy: There is a $5 non-refundable administrative fee for any cancellation up to 48 hours prior to this program. No refund will be issued if less than 48 hours’ notice is given for this program.

Continuing Education Credits:

FOR PENNSYLVANIA SOCIAL WORKERS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, AND PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS: This program is approved for credits for professional workshops sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work, a state affiliate of the Clinical Social Work Association listed in Section 47.36 of Title 49, Chapter 47 of the PA Code, State Board of Social Work Examiners. This program is also approved for 3 credits for professional workshops for marriage & family therapists (Section 48.36) and professional counselors (Section 49.36).

FOR NEW JERSEY SOCIAL WORKERS: This program is approved for 3 clinical credits. Attendance at programs or courses given at state and national social work association conferences, where the criteria for membership is an academic degree in social work, are a valid source of continuing education clinical credit (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c)4).

PSCSW Members - Before you begin any registration, you must log in to the website to pay the member rate. If you register without logging in, you will pay at the nonmember rate. If you need assistance logging in, please contact the PSCSW office at: pscsw@pscsw.org.