Today on the podcast, April and Danielle are joined by Bernadette Kerr (AKA Bernie), LCSW, who has been a counselor at NYU’s Counseling and Wellness Services since 2017. She offers one-on-one and group counseling, hosts workshops, and performs community outreach. Bernie co-leads the Racial Justice Team and is a member of the ADHD and Mindfulness teams.
In this episode, Bernie shares how she incorporates spirituality into her work. She acknowledges the link between spirituality and trauma in many communities and discusses how spiritual practices have helped some manage and move through suicidal ideation. Bernie uses the 4 I's of oppression to unpack spiritual beliefs that come from faith leaders, family, and community members versus what a religious text actually says. She beautifully describes building her own way of understanding her faith and integrating it into her daily life. Additionally, she discusses the idea of forgiveness and what it means to her. She explains it is, “...an acceptance of what happened to you, without making a commitment to anyone but you.” Finally, we explore the harms that have been done in the name of religion and how to reconstruct our faith and religion to live it out authentically.
This episode may be activating for some. Be sure to listen to your body and take care of yourself!
If you or someone you know has experienced a sexual assault or relationship violence, we encourage you to reach out for support.
For more show notes and resources, visit: https://www.nyu.edu/students/health-and-wellness/services/healthy-living/good-sex-at-nyu.html
