Homes Within Reach Conference: Uncovering Implicit Bias
Uncovering Implicit Bias
As service providers we often engage with and serve marginalized communities. Though our stated values may be to positively support the people we serve, our unconscious biases may present a barrier to developing a trusting and meaningful rapport with our clients. This training aims to help participants expose their own implicit biases and offers key strategies to mitigate the impact of those biases for the people we serve. Practical tools for self-awareness and intervention will be explored in a safe and non-judgmental space.
Presenters:
Andrew Spiers, MSS, LSW (he/him) is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Pathways to Housing PA’s Housing First University. Andrew joined Pathways in early 2018 and served as an Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader before launching Housing First University in October 2019. Andrew holds a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where he concentrated in Community Practice, Policy, & Advocacy. He has taught Human Services and Sociology courses as an adjunct professor at Harcum College and conducted trainings and workshops all over the country on Housing First, harm reduction, and affirming care for LGBTQ+ communities.
Ryan Villagran, MSW, LSW (he/they) joined Housing First University in June 2021 as a Training Specialist. Ryan holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University with a concentration in Communities & Policy. His clinical background includes delivering psychiatric rehabilitation services in the mental health recovery model at a Community Integrated Recovery Center. Ryan also developed and coordinated a training program in a university setting for social workers serving transitional-aged youth and later taught a Human Behavior in the Social Environment course for graduate social work students. Ryan is involved in organizing efforts around ending mass incarceration and believes in the power of our collective imagination to dream of a better future centered around the most vulnerable members of our community.
