Keynotes
July 9: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Collective Stress: Thriving in the Midst of the World’s Challenges

Michelle Karume, PhD

Have you wondered why it is that your regular self-care routine or that of your clients’ is not alleviating the day-to-day stressors like it did previously? There are several life factors; both positive and negative that connect humans across the globe; and stress is one of them. The impact of stress and its management demonstrates how more similar we are then different. Whereas stress is part of our day to day lives, it appears that the world is experiencing unprecedented levels of it. Perhaps the most recent marker of global stress was the Covid-19 pandemic; a time in which collectively we faced similar challenges. This keynote will introduce a term coined as ‘collective stress’; and demonstrate how as first responders how we can assist our clients and ourselves in better stress management.

Learning Objectives:

Based on the content of this session, I am able to identify the collective stress in my country (political, cultural, social etc).
Based on the content of this session, I am able to identify and make changes I need to make to my self-care plan.
Based on the content of this session, I am able to assess for collective stress being experience by my clients.

July 10: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Key Family Therapy Skills for African Families

Adrian Blow, PhD

Systemic family therapy is an ideal fit for African populations given the familial and collective cultures found on the continent. While Africa is a large and highly diverse continent, with a highly resilient populations, there are also multiple mental health and family concerns. Family therapy is still in its infancy in African contexts with therapy experiences differing widely across countries. In some contexts, stigma is high and individuals are resistant to seeking out traditional forms of therapy. Family therapist qualifications vary widely and practice regulations such as licensure or reimbursement rates are largely underdeveloped. This wide variation can be bridged by key systemic family therapy skills that are foundational to practice and which can make a big difference no matter who the therapist. I will describe and illustrate these core skills and apply them to African contexts.  