The Healing Racial Trauma Initiative
“Healing is about taking the time to notice what gets in the way of feeling connected to your life, your community, and your sense of possibility. Healing, at its core, is about slowing down so that we can better listen to ourselves and each other."
Susan Raffo
Welcome to the Healing Racial Trauma Initiative
The Healing Racial Trauma Initiative (HRTI) is a program rooted in community, research, and justice. Here, we seek to shine a light on the conditions and methods necessary to transform the pain and trauma stemming from both direct and indirect manifestations of violence within the prevailing structures of white supremacy and capitalism.
Designed for and by People of Color (POC) in Maine with funding from the Maine Health Access Foundation, Mindbridge’s Healing Racial Trauma Initiative (HRTI) was established through community listening, research, and analysis.
Since 2021, HRTI developed the “Maine Racial Equity Social Determinants of Health”; developed, conducted, and analyzed the first “Maine Racial Trauma Survey”; and conducted a series of Community Conversations that identified and analyzed community structures and comprehensive qualitative data to inform therapeutic intervention and community healing. Results of these efforts are highlighted in the comprehensive HRTI 2023 report available below.
A Free 11-Part Learning Series for Mental Health Professionals & Community Practitioners
Culturally Responsive Therapy:
Healing Racial Trauma in Practice
The Healing Racial Trauma Initiative (HRTI) at Mindbridge is proud to offer a free, 11-part learning series designed for mental health professionals and community practitioners who seek to deepen their understanding of racial trauma and integrate culturally responsive practices into their work. This series is supported by the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) and will be led by Dr. Janeé M. Steele, a nationally recognized expert in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and racial trauma.
Based on Dr. Steele’s book, Racism and African American Mental Health: Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Empower Healing, this series explores critical topics such as the impact of racism on mental health, culturally responsive therapy, and interventions tailored for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in African American communities.
The Expert
What will participants gain
Comprehensive training on culturally responsive therapy and racial trauma
Practical tools for assessment, treatment planning, and interventions
A collaborative learning environment with expert-led discussions
A deeper understanding of the strengths and coping mechanisms within African American communities
Janeé M. Steele, PhD, is a licensed professional counselor, counselor educator, and diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. She is the owner of Kalamazoo Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, PLLC, where she provides therapy, supervision, and training in CBT. Dr. Steele is also the author of Racism and African American Mental Health, the foundation for this training series.
Our first training will be held
Tuesday March 11th 2025
Join us for Culturally Responsive Therapy, Healing Racial Trauma in Practice, a free virtual course that will allow you to work with other likeminded practitioners eager to develop and craft ways to effectively heal racial trauma.
Start date:
Tuesday March 11, 2025
Sessions:
Every Tuesday at 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST
Location:
Online
with the option to join in communal space
Duration:
11-weeks
Who should apply
We invite Maine residents who qualify under any of the following criteria:
Licensed mental health professionals (psychologists, LCPCs, LCSWs, etc.)
Graduate students or trainees in mental health fields
Practitioners of color are strongly encouraged to apply
Individuals who are not therapists but work closely with affected communities (e.g., caseworkers, educators, community advocates, healthcare providers, clergy, and social justice workers)
How to apply
Interested participants must submit
A current CV (or résumé)
A letter of interest (1 page) explaining:
• Why do you want to participate?
• How do you plan to use this training in your work?
• How do you or plan to commit to culturally responsive care?
Applications will be reviewed based on professional background, commitment to culturally responsive care, potential impact, and availability to attend all sessions. We strongly encourage practitioners of color to participate.
Deadline to Apply: Friday, February 28th @ 5:00pm EST
Spaces are limited to 20 participants. Apply now to be part of this transformative learning experience!
What does healing look like at HRTI?
HRTI views healing as an ongoing process of exploration where clients and practitioners can safely unpack pain and trauma accumulated throughout their lifetimes. Here, we explore the cause and effect relationship between breathing in racial harm & the constriction of life force. We value the questions that arise as much as the answers that come through.
At HRTI, healing is a place where we can be witnessed in our pain and loved through it, a place where we are reminded what safety and belonging feels like. Here, healing is not an event or destination to be arrived at, it is a daily practice of listening, affirming, soothing and rest that takes us from moment to moment and is with us to endure through our toughest moments.
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“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from our view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another. “
James Baldwin