Reducing Prejudice Through Privilege: Encouraging Action and Connection
July 21st, 2017Lindsey Boes, MS, MFTCPrivate practice, DenverHost: Barry ErdmanAbout The Presentation
In the helping professions, we see the damage that can be dealt when a person is targeted by prejudice or discrimination. Many of us wish there was something we could do to stop our clients from experiencing these negative outcomes. Research shows one of the most effective tools in reducing prejudice and discrimination is when the perpetrator is confronted by a bystander, that is, a person who is not being targeted by the discrimination. The purpose of this talk is to provide research supported strategies to confronting prejudice in order to begin to change the social norms that negatively influence our clients. In addition, strategies for in-session conversations with current clients will be explored.
About the Presenter
Lindsey Boes, MS, MFTC, earned her BA in Psychology from Purdue University and worked in a domestic violence shelter after graduating. She then moved to Colorado and shortly after was accepted into the Couple and Family Therapy Master’s program at North Dakota State University, which focused on feminist, social-justice approaches to mental health. Her Master’s thesis explored factors that encourage people with privilege to stand up to discrimination against other social groups. During this time, she was the Safe Zone Coordinator for NDSU and regularly provided trainings to students, faculty, and staff on being an LGBTQ ally. After graduating she returned to the Denver area and opened her private practice specializing in couples, adolescents, and LGBTQ populations.