This four-hour workshop will look at collective trauma – today and historically – and examine its impact and demands on the field of mental and behavioral health. It will also explore the role and responsibility of mental health care providers and how the field can be instrumental in collective healing.
Collective trauma, as the term implies, highlights the psychological reactions to a traumatic event that affect an entire collection of people. Those groups of people can represent a community, congregation, cultural entity, country, or entire world. Further, collective trauma may also represent a collective memory of an awful event that happened to that group of people. Obvious examples come to mind: wars, the Holocaust, the AIDS epidemic, ethnic genocide, large-scale natural disasters, and one we are currently experiencing globally – the coronavirus pandemic.
The field of mental health is central to collective trauma and collective healing in that it typically experiences an increased need for services as well as an understanding of new and different services to meet those needs. Often, the learning of what is needed to help is taking place while the trauma and its impact are still unfolding.
Susanne Haase is a licensed mental health counselor in Florida, specialized in treating OCD and related anxiety and mood disorders. Susanne obtained her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from University of Miami a few years ago following a long and successful career in corporate communications. Susanne has always been passionate about understanding others’ pain and is now focused on helping people learn to manage their symptoms and live a fulfilling life according to their values. In late 2020, Susanne established her private practice, Mind at Peace, LLC and more recently began working with NOCD, the organization that offers online, evidence-based treatment for people suffering from OCD. Susanne’s training in Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD was solidified during her two and a half years with Rogers Behavioral Health in Miami. Now based in Stuart, Florida, Susanne continues to focus on psychoeducation and treatment for OCD, as well as treating related anxiety and mood disorders, as well as trauma.
Complementing Susanne’s clinical experience is her multi-cultural background. Susanne was born in Ecuador and lived in France; she speaks fluent Spanish and French and offers counseling in all three languages. She is also a certified executive coach, arts enthusiast, active cyclist, amateur ballet dancer, and a mom (to a human and canine). Susanne is passionate about helping people overcome the obstacles to their wellness and advocates firmly for understanding of OCD and mental health in general.
Continuing Education: WAFCA will provide four NBCC continuing education hours at no charge to those who attend the entire training event. Partial credit will be provided to those who choose to attend only part of the event.
The Great Lakes MHTTC offers this training in partnership with WAFCA to behavioral health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, an WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.
