Category » Race and Culture

International Day of Tolerance 2023

November 15, 2023

In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly decided to celebrate International Day of Tolerance on November 16 every year. Nowadays, tolerance appears to be lacking. Acceptance of diversity is a crucial element of positive mental health. We should always strive for diversity acceptance and a more tolerant world, regardless of the International Day of Tolerance….

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Juneteenth at Longwood Gardens

On Friday, June 16, 2023, Longwood Gardens hosted Fashioning Freedom, a event honoring the power of fashion in the struggle for freedom. It promised to be an evening for celebrating African American fashion and its critical relationship to the work of freedom. After spending her day seeing clients and working towards her doctorate, CFR Staff…

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Black Joy

While the events that led to the ultimate creation of the national holiday known as Juneteenth may be over 160 years in the past, there is no time like the present to embrace Black joy. But what is Black joy and why is Juneteenth a time for us to embrace it? And what does it…

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“I Don’t See Color”: White Caregivers Raising BIPOC Children

In previous generations, the phrase “I don’t see color” was a mark of being progressive. Parents would use the phrase to explain why the differences of another person were not important when cultivating relationships. By telling children the color of a person does not matter, it also allows for parents and caregivers to avoid having…

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The Family – And Now the Nation – That Howls Together

August 27, 2020

On April 23, while watching the PBS News Hour’s coverage of – what else – our nation’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, I received a delightful surprise at the close of the program. The scene moved to Missoula, Montana, where they filmed local residents on their front porches, all howling in unison. Some families even…

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A White Therapist’s Thoughts on Change

Change. What leads to change? As therapists this is a question many of us have considered deeply in our professional development. Students at Council for Relationships write their final paper on their theory of change because we believe that it is so foundational to their growth as therapists. We all know that it is hard…

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Owning Your Narrative as A Biracial Person in America

Allen-Michael Lewis, MS, LMFT joined our staff in 2018 and has been working as a couple and family therapist since 2012. He has a specific passion for working with children, teens, and young adults as they attempt to navigate life transitions.    In the United States, we continue to see an increase in the reported number…

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