Adekemi speaks at 2018 ABPSI Conference in Oakland, CA
On June 27, 2018, Zawadi and Adekemi appeared in Oakland CA to speak at the Association of Black Psychologists Annual Conference (ABPSI) with Dr. Anthony J. Smith, Phd. Although Zawadi and Dr. Smith have spoken at the conference for the past two years, this was the 50th Anniversary for this organization, and the first time that Adekemi himself agreed to speak.
The topic of the conference was “Building for Eternity”.
Dr. Anthony Smith, Adekemi and Zawadi spoke about “African Centered Therapy in Practice: Integrating Practices of Spirit into Therapy". For the past 5 years Adekemi has partnered with Dr. Smith and other counselors to lend spiritual guidance to some of their patients.
Dr. Smith discussed the importance of this alignment for a total healing modality that draws on methods of traditional healing and spirituality.
Zawadi revealed aspects of her personal journey in which she chose to use spirituality to ground herself and propel herself into her life’s work as opposed to yielding to unpleasant experiences that could be perceived as a psychological disorder.
Adekemi reminded Psychologists of the existence of spiritual healing as well as their own needs to care spiritually for themselves. He commended them and reminded them that thy are the “Medicine People” of this society.
The presentation was well received and was met with a standing ovation.
Zawadi and Adekemi were greeted by many conference participants and were able to give individual readings to many of the doctors. A notable elder and psychologist, commended Zawadi and Anthony, asking to speak with “Anthony’s Medium” and saying “We need to talk more about this. This is important”.
Zawadi and Adekemi are delighted at the reception they receive from ABPSI, and look forward to attending the conference with Dr. Smith next year in Florida.
Stay Tuned:
Zawadi will be featured on a Podcast by Dr. Adwoa Akhu, Phd, to discuss her personal journey and the readings that she and Adekemi provide.
Anthony J. Smith, Phd is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. His practice, The Alase Center For Enrichment, can be found at http://www.Alase.net
The Association of Black Psychologists was founded in San Francisco in 1968 by a number of Black Psychologists from across the country. They united to actively address the serious problems facing Black Psychologists and the larger Black community. Guided by the principle of self determination, these psychologists set about building an institution through which they could address the long neglected needs of Black professionals. Their goal was to have a positive impact upon the mental health of the national Black community by means of planning, programs, services, training, and advocacy. Their objectives were:
To organize their skills and abilities to influence necessary change, and
To address themselves to significant social problems affecting the Black community and other segments of the population whose needs society has not fulfilled.
The Association of Black Psychologists has grown from a handful of concerned professionals into an independent, autonomous organization of over 1400 members. more at http://www.abpsi.org