Julie Claire Gutterman Memorial Lecture proposes solutions to societal violence

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“Enhancing Practice for Healthy Communities in Response to Societal Violence” is the theme of this year’s Julie Claire Gutterman Memorial Lecture, a half-day workshop for mental health and human services practitioners hosted by Jewish Collaborative Services. This year, the lecture will be held via Zoom on Friday, April 9. An educator and activist, Loren G. Intolubbe-Chmil, Ph.D., will be the keynote speaker. Intolubbe-Chmil is also co-founder of and partner in Core Collaborative International, a consulting firm that focuses on catalyzing transformative practice, cultivating intercultural consciousness and enhancing the capacity for meaningful evidence-based decision-making.

Intolubbe-Chmil will lead attendees through exercises and discussion that are designed to develop a set of tools to contribute to environments that are free from violence rather than teaching people how to communicate about preparing for violence. We do not want violence to be an everyday occurrence, so we should be identifying the kind of community we want and then live those values and create a generational structure for those values.

Violence happens in supermarkets, synagogues, schools and movie theaters; we expect violence to happen as if it is in the air we breathe. Intolubbe-Chmil will explain that it does not have to be that way; we have choices.

“Violence could be an acute issue for someone who’s been impacted by domestic violence or violence in the community,” says Jeremy Thayer, LICSW. Thayer is the clinical supervisor at JCS. "Considering our current pandemic, Dr. Intolubbe-Chmil will make the case that how local, state and federal government has treated communities impacted by oppression can be considered violent. Those experiences certainly impact communities; that’s why I wanted Dr. Intolubbe-Chmil to explain how we can identify the ideology of violence and how to enhance our practice related to societal violence at this year’s Gutterman Memorial Lecture.”

The Gutterman Memorial Lecture honors the memory of the late Julie Claire Gutterman, an exceptionally gifted social worker and educator who served for six years as Jewish Family Service’s (predecessor to JCS) director of professional services. For 22 years, the Gutterman Memorial Lecture has fulfilled her commitment to social workers’ continued professionalism and ongoing learning. The annual lecture is made possible thanks to the generous philanthropy of her husband, Rabbi Leslie Y. Gutterman.

The lecture is open to mental health clinicians, human service professionals and all interested parties. The lecture will offer 3 CEUs. The cost is $45 until March 6, after which it increases to $60. A student rate of $40 is available. To register, visit JCSRI.org.

Submitted by Jewish Collaborative Services