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Cocoa Butter & Hair Grease: Addressing Colorism and Texturism in the Therapeutic Setting

  • AnnodRight 9103 Woodmore Center Drive Lanham, MD, 20706 United States (map)

Every other day someone says something colorist or texturist.

Clients are coming to therapy with trauma rooted in colorism and texturism that impacts their self-esteem, sexuality, and increasing their sense of anxiety and depression.

This specialized training/workshop is designed for therapists and mental health practitioners who see women of color, especially Black women and want to be more knowledgeable and better equipped to work on how colorism and texturism comes up in the therapy room. This can help you and your clients to work together to improve self-esteem which translates for them from the workplace to the bedroom!

Objectives:

  1. Identify 3 reasons it is important to address colorism, texturism, and featurism in the therapeutic setting

  2. Identify & practice 2 interventions they can use to begin addressing colorism and texturism with their clients

  3. Be able to identify one personal barrier they have toward working around colorism

  4. Examine ongoing realities of colorism’s impact on mental, emotional, and sexual health

  5. Explore 1 way in which individual, institutional, and cultural manifestations of colorism negatively impact clients and identify 1 way to help clients better name and navigate each area

  6. Identify 2 power dynamics that shape experiences with Dark Skinned People

This is a 2 part course!

  • You will select your part 1 class at the time of registration. You will be auto registered for the corresponding part 2 of the course

In partnership with NCSEXCON, This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 10 CE credits. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification. (see FAQs to know which Core Knowledge Areas will be covered)

Disclaimer: Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further information please contact info@assect.org.

Approved for 10 NASW CE’s. Not applicable for New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, or West Virginia


  • WHO IS THIS FOR?: Mental Health practitioners

  • WHEN from 10am to 5pm edt:

    • April 5th and 19th (Fridays)

    • June 6th and 20th (Thursdays)

    • September 28th and 19th (weekend class)

  • WHERE: Virtual Hipaa compliant and interactive space.

  • WHAT: A 2-part training on addressing colorism and texturism as it comes up in therapy with a lil extra razzle dazzle on sexual and self-esteem impacts

  • HOW MUCH: $400 for both parts

  • CE’s: Yes, 10 CEs. Approved for 10 NASW & 10 AASECT CEs


Meet your teacher: Dr. Donna Oriowo

Dr. Donna Oriowo

Will be the host and trainer for Cocoa Butter & Hair Grease: Addressing Colorism and Texturism in the Therapeutic Setting.

Dr. Donna is a sex and relationship therapist with a focus on how colorism and texturism impact mental and sexual health. Her dissertation was called “Is it Easier for Her: Afro-Textured Hair and It Effects on Black Female Sexuality” and addressed how texturism impacted self-esteem, hair esteem, and sexual self-efficacy.

Dr. Donna is also the author of Cocoa Butter & Hair Grease: A Self Love Journey Through Hair and Skin, a workbook designed to help clients work through and health hurts regarding colorism and texturism trauma of their past.


QUESTIONS That Need Answers!

  • How much is the program?

    • The investment in your education is $400 per person

  • Is there a limit to the number of people?

    • Yes! There are 25 spaces total. This is to make sure we can learn, adjust as needed, and can have time to speak in the training. This is also because lecture style with 100 participants is not really Dr. Donna’s style

  • Is there social justice pricing and/or scholarships available?

    • Yes, partial scholarships and other pricing is available. Please email hello@annodright.com to inquire

  • Why is the program in 2 parts?

    • First, it has a whole lot of information which can not be adequately given in one session. Second, people were polled and spoke about the difficulty in getting 2 consecutive days away from clients to do training. Third, there is homework in this program and the dates being 2 weeks apart gives you more opportunity and space to increase growth and learning without feeling over inundated.

  • What if I can only make one date?

    • If you can only do one of the dates, please do NOT register for this program. It is not designed for only doing a portion. AND there will be no refunds if you fail to show up for both parts

  • How do i get a copy of Cocoa Butter & Hair Grease?

    • Don’t worry about it. If you register for this training, you will receive a digital copy to your email about 3 days prior to the first date

  • What’s the cancellation policy?

    • Shit happens. If you register and need to cancel you have a few options. You are able to cancel with a full refund up to 72 hours before the start of the event. After that, you in. BUT if you can’t make it, you can either donate your space to someone else who wants the training and cannot afford it, or you can ask about the next time the training will be offered and it can be transferred to that time.

    • If you have other questions, please be sure to email us: Hello@annodright.com

  • Will CE’s be offered?

    • Yes, In partnership with NCSEXCON, we will be offering 10 AASECT CE’s

    • Yes, 10 NASW CE’s are offered

      • New Jersey is not eligible for these NASW CEs

      • New York is not eligible for these NASW CEs

      • West Virginia is not eligible for these NASW CEs

  • What CE’s will be offered?

    • We will offer AASECT CEs for sexuality pros

    • CE’s through NASW for mental health practitioners.

  • When does registration close?

    • An accurate head count would truly make my heart sing, but I know that we like to be sure and thus we wait. So you can register up to November 2nd at 10am. After that, if there is still room available, you can email us to be added

  • For the AASECT CE’s which Core Knowledge Areas (CKA’s) are covered?

    • Content Areas Covered

      • C: Socio-cultural, familial factors (e.g., ethnicity, culture, religion, spirituality, socioeconomic status, family values) in relation to sexual values and behaviors.

      • N: Learning theory and its application.

    • Sex Therapy Training:

      • C: Theory and methods of approach to intervention in relationships systems experiencing problems with sex and intimacy problems

    • Sex Education Skills:

      • D: approaches to Sexuality education with specific populations

Got a question not answered here?

Email us with your question and we can make sure it gets answered!