Empowerment-Based Theories
People may feel helpless in their lives for any number of reasons - empowerment-based theories focus on how oppression contributes to this experience. These theories center on helping marginalized folks at individual, group and community levels gain the personal, interpersonal and political power to improve their lives through self-efficacy, critical consciousness, and coping skill development. Additionally, these models seek to challenge systems that prevent or hinder people from having their needs met.
Social Justice Theory
Social Justice Theory is rooted in the idea that all people should have equal rights, opportunity, and treatment across all aspects of society. To create equality, social justice efforts focus on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination and other forms of social injustice, seeking to promote sensitivity to, and knowledge about, oppression and diversity.
For more information, click here.
Liberation Psychology/Theory
Liberation psychology challenges traditional Western‑based psychological thought by offering an emancipatory approach to understanding and addressing oppression among individuals and groups.
For more information, click here.
Relational Cultural Theory
Mainstream Western psychological theories generally depict human development as moving from dependence to independence. In contrast, relational–cultural therapy is built on the premise that, throughout our lifespan, human-beings grow through and toward connection, and that we need connections to flourish.
For more information, click here.
White Racial Identity development
We are all the result of our conditioning, most of which is unconscious and invisible. Mindfulness and compassion practices can help make our conditioning visible and give us choice: We can act out our conditioning or, instead, we can act from our intentions.
If you identify as White and you notice you have a strong reaction to the idea and description of this class, I invite you to explore and learn more about yourself and the cultural conditioning that sources that reactivity. Together, we’ll explore and better understand the history of racism in America and the ongoing effects of this history on people of Color and White people; we’ll also discuss Whiteness, racialization, implicit bias, colorblind racism. Ultimately, we’ll focus on developing mindfulness and compassion skills to better know your conditioning and provide you with conscious choices regarding your intentions, actions, and effects.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality is an analytical and critical framework for understanding how aspects of an individual’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality specifically addresses the manner in which racism, patriarchy, economic disadvantages and other discriminatory systems contribute to create layers of inequality.
For more information, click here.
Feminist Theory
Feminist Theory shifts focus away from the male viewpoint toward that of womxn in order to better examine social problems, trends and issues that are overlooked or misidentified by the historically dominant patriarchal perspective. Key areas of focus include discrimination and exclusion on the basis of sex and gender, objectification, structural and economic inequality, power and oppression, and gender roles and stereotypes.
For more information, click here.
Queer Theory
Queer Theory challenges the notion of defined and finite identity categories, as well as the norms that create a binary of “good” versus “bad” sexualities. Queer Theory aims to address inequalities and disrupt binaries, asserting there is no set “normal” - only changing norms that people may or may not fit into.
For more information, click here.
social justice advocacy + liberation Practices
Empowerment-Based Theories
People may feel helpless in their lives for any number of reasons - empowerment-based theories focus on how oppression contributes to this experience. These theories center on helping marginalized folks at individual, group and community levels gain the personal, interpersonal and political power to improve their lives through self-efficacy, critical consciousness, and coping skill development. Additionally, these models seek to challenge systems that prevent or hinder people from having their needs met.
Social Justice Theory
Social Justice Theory is rooted in the idea that all people should have equal rights, opportunity, and treatment across all aspects of society. To create equality, social justice efforts focus on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination and other forms of social injustice, seeking to promote sensitivity to, and knowledge about, oppression and diversity.
For more information, click here.
Liberation Psychology/Theory
Liberation psychology challenges traditional Western‑based psychological thought by offering an emancipatory approach to understanding and addressing oppression among individuals and groups.
For more information, click here.
Relational Cultural Theory
Mainstream Western psychological theories generally depict human development as moving from dependence to independence. In contrast, relational–cultural therapy is built on the premise that, throughout our lifespan, human-beings grow through and toward connection, and that we need connections to flourish.
For more information, click here.
White Racial Identity development
We are all the result of our conditioning, most of which is unconscious and invisible. Mindfulness and compassion practices can help make our conditioning visible and give us choice: We can act out our conditioning or, instead, we can act from our intentions.
If you identify as White and you notice you have a strong reaction to the idea and description of this class, I invite you to explore and learn more about yourself and the cultural conditioning that sources that reactivity. Together, we’ll explore and better understand the history of racism in America and the ongoing effects of this history on people of Color and White people; we’ll also discuss Whiteness, racialization, implicit bias, colorblind racism. Ultimately, we’ll focus on developing mindfulness and compassion skills to better know your conditioning and provide you with conscious choices regarding your intentions, actions, and effects.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality is an analytical and critical framework for understanding how aspects of an individual’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality specifically addresses the manner in which racism, patriarchy, economic disadvantages and other discriminatory systems contribute to create layers of inequality.
For more information, click here.
Feminist Theory
Feminist Theory shifts focus away from the male viewpoint toward that of womxn in order to better examine social problems, trends and issues that are overlooked or misidentified by the historically dominant patriarchal perspective. Key areas of focus include discrimination and exclusion on the basis of sex and gender, objectification, structural and economic inequality, power and oppression, and gender roles and stereotypes.
For more information, click here.
Queer Theory
Queer Theory challenges the notion of defined and finite identity categories, as well as the norms that create a binary of “good” versus “bad” sexualities. Queer Theory aims to address inequalities and disrupt binaries, asserting there is no set “normal” - only changing norms that people may or may not fit into.
For more information, click here.