Prof. Gómez & Her Cultural Betrayal Theory Take Center Stage at 2024 Trauma & Dissociation Conference
Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez of BU School of Social Work continues to make waves in the trauma field with her theory of cultural betrayal which played a central role at the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation’s (ISSTD) 2024 Washington D.C. Regional Conference.
As one of three invited speakers who led workshops at the conference, Prof. Gómez’s cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT), which she developed to examine the impact of oppression on outcomes of violence on Black and other marginalized individuals and communities, also guided this year’s theme – Subjugation, Mind Control, and Cultural Betrayal: Attachment Healing through Relational Connection.
Her workshop, “Cultural Betrayal, Sexual Abuse, & Black Women: Healing Perspectives from Relational Cultural Therapy, the Liberation Health Framework, & Dreamstorming,” centered on Black women in the U.S. and their experiences of sexual abuse, utilizing CBTT to explain violence within a group and its effects on mental health. The three-hour talk proposed institutional changes to address systemic harm and explored relational cultural therapy (RCT) and liberation health, a framework developed by BUSSW faculty member Dawn Belkin Martinez, as avenues for improving cultural competency and trauma-informed care.
Prof. Gómez also served on the conference’s “Ask the Experts” panel.
Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez is a Black feminist trauma researcher, critical race scholar, and author of “The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse” as well as numerous peer-reviewed articles and other works. She was recently elected to the ISSTD’s board of directors and has been involved with the organization since 2011, having served as guest co-editor for its Journal of Trauma & Dissociation (Ford & Gómez, 2015; Gómez, Gobin, & Barnes, 2021; Gómez, Gobin, & DePrince, in progress). She also serves as an editorial board member for the journal and a member of its Scientific Committee and Annual Conference Committee. She presented a plenary talk on CBTT at the organization’s 2021 annual conference.
Prof. Gómez is an assistant professor at BUSSW and faculty affiliate at the School’s Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health; a board member of End Rape On Campus and the Center for Institutional Courage; faculty affiliate at the University of Michigan’s RacismLab; research scientist at the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR); editorial board member of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation (JTD), Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, and Psychological Science; and co-editor of the upcoming special issue on intersectional oppression and dissociation in JTD.