To introduce the Striving for Excellence education series, the Psychological Impact of Racism webinar will discuss how racism effects African Americans’ mental health. The murder of George Floyd and other high-profile acts of police brutality have sparked a national dialogue about the psychological impacts of racism. This webinar will provide a brief overview of America’s history of racism. The course will discuss how police brutality has prompted Black families to have difficult conversations with their children about racism, the impact that racism has on Black American’s mental health, and how racism should be conceptualized as psychological trauma. Strategies for coping with racism are provided along with strategies to promote social justice. 

Format

Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity.

This presentation was recorded on July 13, 2021.

Learning Objectives

• Describe historical and contemporary examples of racism against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities. 
• Discuss how racism is a traumatic stressor and the negative psychological and physical impacts of racism.
• Identify examples of maladaptive and adaptive coping and strategies to promote social justice. 

Target Audience

Physician (Non-psychiatrist), Physician Assistant, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, medical students, and other mental health professionals 

Instructional Level

Intermediate

Estimate Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour
Program Start Date: July 20, 2021 
Program End Date: July 20, 2024

How to Earn Credit

After evaluating the program, participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim an hour of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (other disciplines) showing the event date and hours earned.   

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The APA is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The American Psychiatric Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.  

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

All financial relationships relevant to this activity have been mitigated.

Instructor

• Kevin Cokley, Ph.D. holds the Oscar and Anne Mauzy Regents Professorship for Educational Research and Development in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Fellow of the University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers, Director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis, and Professor of Educational Psychology and African and African Diaspora Studies. Dr. Cokley’s research and teaching can be broadly categorized in the area of African American psychology, with a focus on racial and ethnic identity and understanding the psychological and environmental factors that impact African American students’ academic achievement. Dr. Cokley studies the psychosocial experiences of students of color and is currently exploring the impostor phenomenon and its relationship to mental health and academic outcomes. He is the past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Black Psychology and was elected to Fellow status in the American Psychological Association for his contributions to ethnic minority psychology and counseling psychology. He holds the title of Distinguished Psychologist in the Association of Black Psychologists. He is author of the book “The Myth of Black Anti-Intellectualism” that challenges the notion that African American students are anti-intellectual. He has written Op-Eds in major media outlets on topics such as Blacks’ rational mistrust of police, the aftermath of Ferguson, police and race relations, racism and White supremacy, the limitations of de-escalation training, and critical race theory. His research has been recognized in media outlets including the New York Times, USA Today, and Inside Higher Education. Dr. Cokley reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 

Planners

• Nitin Gogtay, M.D., APA Chief of Research, Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This website requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact LearningCenter@psych.org for technical assistance