November 13, 2018, All day (9:00-5:00)

Workshop Description:

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind.”--Marcus Garvey

EE Circles were originated by Community Healing Network (CHN) and developed by CHN in collaboration with leaders of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). They are part of CHN’s effort to build the global grassroots movement for emotional emancipation –-to help Black people across the Diaspora free ourselves from the lies of White superiority and Black inferiority, and reclaim our dignity and humanity as people of African ancestry. Working together, CHN and ABPsi have planted seeds for a global network of EE Circles in more than 20 cities in the United States, and in the United Kingdom, Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean, and South Africa.

• Emotional Emancipation Circles (EECs)SM are self-help support groups in which we, Black people, can work together to heal from, overcome, and overturn the lie of Black inferiority: the root cause of the devaluing of Black lives.
• EECsSM are safe spaces in which we:
  • Share our stories and our feelings;
  • Deepen our understanding of the impact of historical forces on our emotional lives, our relationships, and the well-being of our communities;
  • Free our minds and spirits from the lie of black inferiority and heal from the historical and continuing trauma of racism;
  • Tell ourselves a new and empowering story about who we are as people of African ancestry;
  • Revitalize ourselves and our relationships with each other;
  • Learn and practice essential emotional wellness skills to help us be at our very best–as individuals and as a people; and
  • Develop strategies to extinguish the lie of black inferiority–once and for all.

Emotional Emancipation (EE) Circles SM training equips participants to establish and run Emotional Emancipation (EE) Circles SM. EE Circles or EECs SM are evidence-informed, psychologically sound, and culturally grounded support groups designed to help Black people heal from, and overturn, the root causes of the devaluing of Black lives. EE Circles are psycho-educational in nature and are not intended to be a substitute for professional counseling, advice, or therapy. They are designed to be facilitated by lay people and professionals.

“Turn the pain of the blues into the sky blue of unlimited possibilities.”
—Maya Angelou, Founding Chair, Community Healing Network Board of Advisors

Workshop Presenters:

Trainers: Cheryl Tawede Grills, Ph.D. and Taasogle Daryl Rowe, Ph.D.

Cheryl Grills
Dr. Grills is a Clinical Psychologist with a current emphasis in Community Psychology. A national Past President of the Association of Black Psychologists, she is a tenured, Full Professor at Loyola Marymount University and Director of their Psychology Applied Research Center. She also serves as Chair of the Los Angeles County Sybil Brand Commission. Among others, she currently leads the evaluation of a CDC REACH grant on health equity issues; a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant examining community organizing as a public health strategy to address obesity among children of color; and a California Department of Public Health grant addressing mental health disparities and the evaluation of 35 community defined evidence interventions in 5 priority populations: (Latino, African American, Asian American, native American, and LGBTQ). Dr. Grills co-designed the Emotional Emancipation (EE) Circles developed by The Community Healing Network and is the leader of the EE Circles Training Team.

Taasogle Daryl Rowe
Dr. Taasogle Daryl Rowe is a licensed psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology of Pepperdine University. Dr. Rowe has published on topics such as African-centered theory, treatment and training, inter-ethnic and marital relations, clinical interventions and cultural competence; and has presented at professional organizations, nationally and internationally. He served as National President of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) from July 2013-15, and is the former National Chair of The African Psychology Institute, the training arm of the ABPsi, where he coordinated the development of a comprehensive curriculum for African Psychology. As a psychologist and consultant, Dr. Rowe maintains a small private practice emphasizing the psychological and communal needs of persons of African ancestry, with special focus on marital and family relationships.