Historical Trauma and Cultural Healing in 2021

Genocide, slavery, and displacement have affected far too many communities of people. While each community’s experience is different, massive collective trauma often results in cumulative emotional and psychological wounds that are carried across generations and remain potent in 2021. 

Dr. Irit Felsen is a clinical psychologist trained at Yale University and in Germany and Israel. She has seen these types of cumulative wounds firsthand, as a researcher focused on the long-term effects of intergenerational trauma and a clinician with extensive experience working with Holocaust survivors and their families. 

Join Dr. Felsen for a program exploring historical trauma and cultural healing with experts from Jewish, American Indian, and African American communities. In addition to Dr. Felsen, the discussion will feature:

• Dr. Nina Fischer, a scholar of Jewish Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt and granddaughter of non-Jewish Germans who has authored Memory Work: The Second Generation (Palgrave 2015) and other publications exploring the legacy of the Holocaust;
• Dr. Jessica Gourneau, a clinical psychologist and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa who serves as Clinical Director at American Indian Family Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, with more than 25 years of experience of providing culturally-informed therapeutic practices interwoven with traditional healing practices in Native communities; and
• Sam Simmons, an alcohol and drug counselor with more than 30 years of experience in culturally-sensitive, trauma-informed work with African American men and their families, founder of the Community Empower Through Black Men Healing Conference, and co-host of “Voices” on 89.9 KMOJ FM radio.