Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan returns with a new interview with Akilah Riley-Richardson. Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP, is a published researcher, Relational Healing Facilitator, couples therapist, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She has been in clinical practice for sixteen years and has experience working with couples and persons practicing consensual non-monogamy, both in the Caribbean and internationally. Akilah also specializes in working with sexual minorities and racial minorities.Akilah has presented in various spaces including the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium and the Black Mental health Symposium. She has been a Social Work Educator at the University of the Southern Caribbean since 2012. She is the founder of the BIPOC Relational Healing Institute and the creator of the P.R.I.D.E model.In this conversation, Akilah explains how individuals with marginalized identities such as being a member of the LGBTQIA community, living in a minoritized body or being in an interracial relationship face barriers in relationships which may not be understood by therapists. She speaks of the importance of addressing the wider system that clients exist within, beyond simply the individual and their family of origin or community. And she gives us a window into the course she is offering to teach therapists and the general public to understand how these dynamics affect relationships and how to help, and avoid causing further harm. Akilah is offering a FREE webinar to introduce the course material, which is found here: Liberatory Connections: Healing the Impact of Systemic Trauma In Couples Therapy. You'll want to check out the course, "Systemic Trauma & Couples Therapy," too. It looks amazing and includes a lot of wonderful bonus content including conversations with Resmaa Menakem and Adrienne Maree Brown, among many others!  Learn more about Akilah Riley RIchardson’s work here: https://akilahrileyrichardson.com Contact Akilah for therapy, training and/or consultation via e-mail: info@akilahrileyrichardson.com Find Akilah on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/akilah.rileyrichardson  Additional resources:Janina Fisher has a new FREE webinar about healing the shame which is a common reaction to trauma. Register here to learn how to address this difficult emotion in therapy with trauma survivors! In partnership with the Academy of Therapy Wisdom, I'm excited to invite you to a free webinar offered by my colleague and previous Therapy Chat guest, Juliane Taylor Shore. Jules is a gifted therapist who likes to geek out on neuroscience and then share it in ways that therapists can understand and apply. She’ll do just that in this webinar on Memory Reconsolidation for Anxiety. Register here for free! Therapists, join the waiting list for Trauma Therapist Network membership. We now have new membership levels and options for Group Practice Owners and Canadian therapists! Get the details and join the waiting list to receive first access when membership reopens here: https://go.traumatherapistnetwork.com/join ! What is TTN? Go here to check it out! Registration opens again this summer! Therapists - Attend another free webinar presented by Dr. Janina Fisher. In this recorded webinar, Healing the Shame of our Fragmented Selves, Janina will address helping clients who struggle with shame and self-loathing. As a special gift, when you register for the free webinar, you’ll also get access to two one-hour trainings from Dr. Fisher so you can learn the foundation of her Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment model right away. Therapists - get free trainings on Energy Work and Spirituality with trauma survivors from Dr. Frank Anderson and save on his training when you register here! Find Laura's most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here - includes recommended books and trainings. Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts to help more people find the show! Get