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ANESIS MULTICULTURAL

MENTAL HEALTH

CONFERENCE

AUGUST 21-22ND, 2025

MADISON, WI

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

At Anesis Therapy, our commitment goes beyond conversation; it's about action. We recognize the unique mental health challenges faced by communities of color and the urgent need for care that not only understands but celebrates cultural diversity. This is what drives the Anesis Multicultural Mental Health Conference. We aim to reshape traditional approaches and pave the way for a more inclusive and understanding mental health paradigm.

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SACRED SPACES

In mental health care, a sacred space embodies the profound intersections of cultural identity, ancestral wisdom, and healing practices. This year's theme explores how we can create and preserve these sacred spaces in our clinical work, communities, and healing journeys.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

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SHAN BOODRAM

Shan Boodram is a certified sex educator (AASECT), certified sexologist, and holds a Master's degree in Psychology. She has emerged as one of today's most influential voices in modern intimacy and relationship education, reaching millions through her work as an expert on Netflix's "Too Hot to Handle" and as the host of the popular podcast "Lovers by Shan." Known for her ability to blend academic expertise with relatable content, Shan has successfully bridged the gap between clinical sex education and everyday application, making her a pioneering voice in transforming how we approach conversations about relationships and sexual wellness.

ABOUT | INSTAGRAM

Portrait of a Black woman with shoulder-length dreadlocks wearing a dark blue shirt in front of a brick wall

Prentis Hemphill (They/Them) is unearthing the connections between healing, community accountability and our most inspired visions for social transformation. Prentis is a therapist, somatics teacher and facilitator, political organizer, writer and the founder of The Embodiment Institute. For over 10 years, Prentis has been working with individuals and organizations during their most challenging moments of change; navigating leadership transitions, conflict, and realigning practice with values. All of this Prentis does through an embodied approach, ensuring that our intentions and ideas can be lived out and practiced in our lives and through our bodies.

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PRENTIS HEMPHILL

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Dr. Raquel Martin, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and influential thought leader in Black Mental Health and Liberation Psychology. Standing at the intersection of clinical practice and social advocacy, she delivers presentations that both inform and inspire meaningful change. Dr. Martin's approach combines critical education with accessible resources, challenging traditional norms while ensuring participants feel seen and empowered. Her pioneering work bridges the gap between clinical psychology and social justice, offering fresh perspectives that continue to advance the field of Black mental health.

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DR. RAQUEL MARTIN

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

CONFERENCE AGENDA DAY 1:

8:00am: Registration

8:15am: Breakfast

9:00am: Morning Session + Keynote

10:30am: Breakout Session I

12:10pm: Lunch + Afternoon Keynote

2:00pm: Breakout Session II

3:30pm: Breakout Session III

5:00pm: Networking Mixer (Rooftop)

CONFERENCE AGENDA DAY 2:

8:00am: Breakfast

9:00am: Workshops

10:30am: Keynote

12:00pm: Closing

BREAKOUT SESSION I (THURSDAY):

This breakout session will explore the essential roles that doulas, midwives, and psychotherapists play in supporting BIPOC birthing people throughout the reproductive journey. Through a lens of historical context, local disparities, and culturally grounded care models, we will examine how these providers help navigate systemic barriers, affirm cultural traditions, and promote emotional and psychological well-being. Participants will also discuss the unique mental health needs that arise during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, with an emphasis on collective care and healing-centered practices. Together, we’ll reimagine what sacred, community-rooted support looks like for BIPOC parents.

Speakers: Bobbie Briggs, Brittany Neal, Micaela Berry-Smith, Antoria Robbins
In her essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” Audre Lorde writes, “We have been raised for years to fear the yes within ourselves, our deepest craving.,” while reminding us that “the erotic is not only a question of what we do; it is a question of how acutely and fully we feel in the doing.” This interactive session will introduce a somatic-based framework rooted in Lorde’s work and used in clinical practice to assist Black femmes in cultivating intimacy with self and others. Participants will explore how this can be applied across a multiple presenting concern. Ultimately, the session aims to provide a culturally relevant framework that moves beyond self-care and offers pathways for sustainable collective care.

Speaker: Jordan Gaines
This highly participatory and experiential training will offer participants an opportunity to explore the neurodiversity paradigm and cultural humility in the therapy setting. We will apply the 5 principles of neuroaffirming therapy and the 3 principles of cultural humility to our work in the therapy setting. By the end of this training each learner will understand what neuroaffirming therapy and cultural humility is, and we will practice skills to ground these concepts to ourselves and our therapy practice. Participants are invited to learn in this workshop through brief lectures, small group discussions, and partner work.

Speakers: Jesse Jonesberg ,Tony Gardner, Shaina Buckner
As mental health professionals, we often pour ourselves into healing others while neglecting our own restoration. This essential session explores creating sacred spaces for our own healing journey, understanding that our personal healing directly impacts our ability to hold space for others. Participants will learn to recognize the difference between authentic support and the compulsive need to "fix" others, explore the transformative power of forgiveness as a cornerstone of sustainable practice, and develop personalized self-care practices that honor cultural identity while preventing burnout. This session acknowledges that true healing happens in sacred spaces where we can be both healer and human.
Speakers: Jacquelyn Hunt

BREAKOUT SESSION II (THURSDAY):

Space for Sistas®: Unmasking the Silence, Stories & Strategies to Support Childless Black Women
What does it cost to stay silent in spaces that tie a woman’s worth to her ability to have children? This breakout session explores the mental health and cultural challenges childless Black women face and the exhaustion that often follows. Through the S.I.S.T.A.™ framework, attendees will learn how to unmask silence, share their stories without shame and offer support for themselves and others on this journey care.
Speakers: Dr. Dominique Pritchett
This session invites participants to reimagine mental health through the lens of transformative healing rooted in lived experience, ancestral knowledge, and collective care. It challenges the dominant, often pathologizing models of mental health by examining how colonialism, capitalism, and systemic oppression have silenced culturally grounded, community-driven practices. Drawing inspiration from movements like mad pride, disability justice, and healing justice, the session envisions a liberatory approach centered on dignity, autonomy, and self-determination. Through reflection and dialogue, attendees will gain tools to create sacred spaces where healing is a communal, culturally resonant act of resistance and renewal.
Speakers: Noah Gokul
How we tell our stories shapes our identities, relationships, and possibilities for change. This experiential session will explore the foundations of narrative practice, beginning with externalizing language, relational orientations, and a practice worldview that centers agency and meaning-making. We will then delve into core tenets and techniques of narrative therapy, offering practical ways to integrate these ideas into clinical work, community practice, or daily life.
Speaker: Dr. Armando Hernandez
Participants will learn ways they can integrate other approaches of healing within traditional western medicine.
Participants will learn about the various approaches to healing outside of the western approach.
Speaker: Dr.Sebastian Ssempijja & Dr. Fredrick Coleman
In Mothering the Mother, participants will dive into the Person First Parenting™ model and explore how to create sacred, healing-centered spaces for Black mothers navigating systems, trauma, and survival-mode parenting. This session offers practical tools, cultural insight, and real-world strategies for empowering Black Mamas through affirmation, rest, and relational healing. Attendees will leave with a renewed understanding of how to support Black Mamas and caregivers not just as parents—but as whole people.

Speaker: Kenya Gaines-Brown

BREAKOUT SESSION III (THURSDAY):

Speaker: Prentis Hemphill
Speaker: Shan Boodram

WORKSHOPS (FRIDAY):

The Movement, Nutrition, and Rest Trio is a dynamic, science-backed wellness session that centers on the three pillars of well-being essential for vibrant living. Attendees will explore how intentional movement, mindful nourishment, and restorative rest work together to improve hormonal balance, emotional regulation, and long-term health. This holistic experience blends education with embodied practice to help you reclaim agency over your wellness. Whether you are preventative about your scared temple or reclaiming your freedom from a chronic or preventable diagnosis, you'll walk away feeling more connected to your body and empowered to live a life of your own choosing.
Speaker: Keena Atkinson
This session introduces the Four Practices of CALM to support emotional regulation and resilience through breathwork, movement, and mindfulness. Participants will explore trauma-informed self-care strategies and create a personalized action plan they can apply in both their professional and personal lives.
Speaker: Danielle Johnson
Experience deep restoration in this immersive session combining the soothing power of herbal tea with the healing resonance of a sound bath. Sip a claiming infusion while being guided through breathwork and a vibration sound system. This session invites you to slow down, reconnect, and leave feeling grounded, balanced, and renewed.
Speaker: Sarah Branch
Trap Therapy is a culturally responsive mental health approach that blends music, culture, and community engagement to meet the emotional and psychological needs of BIPOC individuals. By incorporating relatable genres like hip-hop and R&B, it reduces stigma and creates a safe, non-clinical space for open dialogue and authentic expression. This groundbreaking model fills a critical void in culturally responsive mental health care.

Speaker: Tarsha Wiggins
Community Reflection Circles are structured yet flexible spaces rooted in Indigenous practices. Participants gather in a circle for guided dialogue grounded in shared values, intention-setting, and storytelling. Led by a trained circle keeper, these sessions center relationship-building, truth-telling, and deep listening. These circles will not be content-heavy but instead offer a break from panels and workshops — a space to be, feel, and connect.

Facilitated by Dr. Armando Hernandez
Often, Black men are not given the cultural permission to address their mental and emotional trauma. In many cases, Black men are asked to heal but we don't have the time to just disconnect and heal. We are often required to still lead our families, in our jobs, and in our community, while still leading. How Black men still heal while also leading fits into the idea of cultural approaches to embodied healing.
Speaker: Judge Everett Mitchell