From Surviving to Thriving: Creating Restorative Systems One Case at a Time
Many times attorneys and other professionals in the legal system come into contact with individuals and families who have experienced trauma in various or multiple forms. Rarely are legal professionals given education or skills, either through school or work, necessary to competently respond to and advocate for these clients. This series aims to offer professionals specific skills and answers to day-to-day issues they may encounter when working with survivors of trauma. From understanding why a client is disengaged in the process or does not adhere to sound legal advice, to learning what questions to ask in an initial interview, professionals will be given specific practice points to implement into their client relationships. Professionals also are faced with their own experiences of trauma, whether directly or as secondary trauma, that sometimes go unchecked. This series will provide a discussion of the ethical implications of representing trauma survivors and promote skills to build resiliency in self and clients. The Zero Abuse Project at Mitchell Hamline takes a multi-disciplinary approach to training, knowing that learning from the knowledge and skill set of one profession enhances that of another. Professionals can support each other and families, and build a collaborative, restorative legal system one case at a time.
All events in this series have been approved for 2.0 standard CLE credits unless otherwise noted. Mitchell Hamline is an approved CE provider by the Minnesota Board of Social Work. Certificates of Attendance are available. If you plan to submit an application of approval to a different board, Mitchell Hamline is happy to assist you however possible.
All events in this series will be held at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, 875 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105. The cost of each event is $20.00. Refunds will be available up to 4 business days before the event, less a $3.00 admin fee.
Please direct questions to katie.olson@mitchellhamline.edu
Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Families: How to Advocate in a Complex and Ineffective System
October 31, 2018
9:00-11:00 am
Kelley Board Room
1.0 standard and 1.0 elimination of bias credits approved
Legal issues in immigration have come to the forefront of the country’s mind following recent events at the United States/Mexico border. As laws and practices change sometimes weekly, immigration attorneys, mental health professionals, medical providers, and other professionals are left wondering how to keep up. This multi-disciplinary panel brings together professionals to offer practice points and suggestions to create the best possible outcomes for clients. The presentation will look at legal challenges and trauma experienced by immigrants and refugees, trauma-informed and culturally responsive interactions and services, advocating in the court system, and secondary trauma experienced by professionals working in this field.
Understanding the Racial Divide on Corporal Punishment: A Child Protection and Criminal Defense Analysis
November 14, 2018
4:00-6:00 pm
Room 125
2.0 elimination of bias credits approved
This presentation will discuss the origins of corporal punishment and regional differences of opinion about its validity within the United States and outside of the U.S., and specifically how Minnesota standards compare. It will highlight how corporal punishment has evolved over time within the African American community and why historically African Americans have resisted efforts to abandon the parenting practice due to present day and inter-generational trauma from racial oppression. Finally, the presentation will offer insight on why African Americans may view the use of corporal punishment as a way to protect their children from the repercussions of state-sanctioned violence and discrimination against their community.
Angela Bailey, Office of the Hennepin County Public Defender- Juvenile Division
Trauma as a Cause and Effect of Residential Instability
November 16, 2018
9:00-11:00 am
Kelley Board Room
Homelessness is often associated with poverty, unemployment, lack of governmental or personal support, and other economic challenges. However, this mindset fails to account for what research has shown to be one of the main predictors of long-term residential instability: severity of trauma experienced by individuals and families. Because these families are likely come into contact with the legal system, social services, and medical clinics, it is important for professionals to understand how to address trauma as a root cause of long-term housing instability, and to recognize how this instability relates to other challenges such as unemployment, domestic violence, involvement in the criminal justice system, physical and mental health diagnoses. How should social workers, advocates, physicians, and attorneys go about doing this, and how can multi-disciplinary professionals collaborate? This panel will highlight programs doing just that, and offer guidance to professionals on how to provide strength-based services to families and individuals, across systems and regardless of profession or role.