Prof. Gómez Presents at International Summit on Violence, Abuse, & Trauma
Sharing innovations for treating trauma can address gaps in traditional therapy, reduce trauma’s long-term effects, and empower survivors. As part of this work, Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez from BU School of Social Work shared her expertise across three invited presentations at the San Diego International Summit on Violence, Abuse, & Trauma Across the Lifespan, including a closing plenary address.
Institutional Betrayal & Courage: The Importance of Cultural Humility
Those who have faced colonization, like Indigenous peoples, refugees, and others are often neglected by Western therapy practices due to historical and race-based trauma. Therefore, they can benefit from treatment that combines modern therapy practices (neuroscience, psychology, etc.) with traditional cultural healing. A panel including Gómez shared how practitioners can support individuals, families, and communities affected by trauma through this holistic wellness and resilience. Gómez discussed how to question the appropriateness of dominate, white American clinical practices for culturally and societally diverse communities of color.
Healing from Cultural Betrayal & Sexual Abuse: Relational Cultural Therapy and Liberation Health
In this workshop, Gómez shared effective trauma-informed treatments for Black women in the U.S. who have suffered sexual abuse. The approaches build from cultural betrayal trauma theory, which Gómez founded to highlight how acts of betrayal within a person’s own community—especially when linked to systemic oppression—can cause deeper psychological trauma. To address these complex cases, Gómez introduced two therapeutic models: Relational Cultural Therapy, which emphasizes the importance of understanding the client’s life and context, and Liberation Health, which connects mental health treatment with addressing social issues like oppression. The workshop showed how therapy can be more culturally aware and empowering for Black women survivors.
What Is Free to You? Identifying Changes of an Entirely Different Order
In her closing plenary address, Gómez recalled her research on cultural betrayal trauma to explore what it means to be truly free, referencing Black feminist icons Nina Simone and Angela Davis. She stressed the idea that fighting sexual violence and inequality requires deep societal changes, and that achieving freedom from racism, sexism, and violence calls for collective action that prioritizes the dignity and humanity of Black women and girls. Prof. Gómez received a standing ovation for her talk.