Morgan Swain-Sears
(Licensed Psychologist )
Presenter's Bio:
Morgan Swain-Sears, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who is proud to be born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Dr. Sears is a counseling psychologist with a profound dedication to enhancing the wellbeing of communities through advocacy, research, and the promotion of positive social change.Her research focuses on the intricate ways in which social media and pop culture shape cultural and societal messages, with a particular emphasis on the experiences of women. By exploring the impact of these factors, Dr. Sears seeks to understand and address the challenges faced by marginalized communities. As a passionate advocate for positive social change, she employs media as a tool for empowerment and transformation. In addition to providing therapeutic services, Dr. Sears enjoys training fellow clinicians to enhance their cultural competence, ensuring they are equipped to support diverse populations effectively. Her scholarly work includes conducting research and writing thought-provoking essays, further enriching the field and sparking critical discussions.
Keys Open Doors: Understanding Social Capital’s Impact on Client Wellbeing and Inclusive Care
Course Summary:
The concept of social capital, introduced by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu in 1984, is understood as the interplay of resources within one’s social network, including prestige, reputation, access to tangible resources, and pathways for social mobility (Bourdieu, 1984; Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992; Holland & Eisenhart, 1990). While cultivating social capital can serve as a valuable resource, a lack of it can significantly hinder an individual’s quality of life and well-being by limiting access to critical opportunities. They are essentially attempting to open locked doors without having the keys. Evidence suggests that access to resources through social capital impacts multiple aspects of life, from the quality of social interactions to healthcare access and job mobility (Nistor & Stanciu, 2017; O’Connor & Gladstone, 2018; Pitas et al., 2021; Philip et al., 2022). Moreover, demographic factors such as race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, body size, and ability status heavily influence access to social capital. Clients from marginalized communities often face limited access to essential community resources and fewer opportunities for upward mobility. This workshop is structured to review the historical development of social capital, its role across varied social contexts, and its functioning at a community level. The learning objectives of this workshop are threefold: to review the function and purpose of social capital; to foster a collaborative environment where attendees can reflect on the impact of social capital on their and their clients’ access to resources and lived experiences; and to generate strategies to integrate social capital considerations into culturally humble, client-centered care. Recognizing how identity factors affect access to social capital can help attendees understand systemic challenges and privileges that shape client experiences, enhancing the delivery of culturally responsive mental health support. The workshop will actively engage attendees in discussing ways to incorporate these concepts into therapeutic settings, including the development of case conceptualization and treatment planning that accounts for social capital. Attendees will also have opportunities to participate in collaborative exercises to practice culturally informed interventions, guided by moderators experienced in applying these principles in clinical practice.
