Health Equity in Chronic Pain & Medical Illness
Integrative Interventions to Reduce Appropriated Oppression
- Speaker:
- Kira Banks, PhD
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 02 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Jul 16, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150877
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
Bias in healthcare hurts: “It’s all in your head.” “It’s just stress.”
Minimization and misattribution of pain is the norm for individuals from oppressed groups, whether BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ+, or female...
...leading to un- and under-treated pain and illness which creates a profound mental health burden in addition to delayed recovery, reduced quality of life, and increased disability.
In this session, DEI expert Dr. Kira Banks will show you how oppression impacts the pain and illness experience of your clients who are from marginalized groups. You’ll learn:
- The role of liberation psychology in improving health equity
- A toolkit of interventions to reject clients’ negative beliefs about their health
- How to minimize the impact of health disparities in your practice
Credit
Speaker
Kira Banks, PhD Related seminars and products
Kira Banks, PhD, has decades of experience helping individuals and institutions create equity and inclusion for long-term change. Dr. Banks co-founded the Institute for Healing Justice and Equity at Saint Louis University, where she is a professor of psychology and director of clinical training for their APA accredited doctoral program. She has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to popular media including The Harvard Business Review, CNN, The Atlantic and The Guardian. A consultant to the entertainment industry, Dr. Banks works with productions to ensure they are cultivating an inclusive climate. She has contributed to children's programming through her work with Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, and she is co-principles of The Mouse and the Elephant, a firm that develops customized curriculum for diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives. Dr. Banks’ podcast – The Kira Banks Show – helps people develop an equity mindset and have critical dialogues at home and in the workplace.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kira Banks has an employment relationship with Saint Louis University. She receives a grant from NIAID/NIH/DHHS. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. Kira Banks has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kira Banks is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association Psychological Science, the Association of Black Psychologists, and the Missouri Psychological Association. She is an ad hoc reviewer for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
Questions?
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Additional CE Info
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
Objectives
- Define health equity issues impacting clients with chronic pain and illness in psychotherapy.
- Evaluate the role of liberation psychology in reducing appropriated oppression.
- Utilize at least two interventions to reduce clients’ negative beliefs clients about their health status.
Outline
Health Equity Basics
- A fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible
- Oppression conceptualized as biopsychosocial stressor impacting pain and illness
- Income, education level, and other social determinants of health
- Impact of discrimination and other psychosocial stressors
- Disproportionate prevalence of chronic pain and illness
- Disparities in pain treatment and assumptions about groups’ expected behavior
- Clinicians’ role in health inequity
Interventions to Improve Health Equity
- How to support clients impacted by health inequities
- Liberation psychology to reclaim life-affirming practices that honor cultural traditions
- Cognitive defusion to create distance from “defective” and “broken” beliefs
- Use of metaphor to minimize appropriated oppression
- Self-compassion interventions
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Nurses
- Other Mental Health Professionals
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
Reviews
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