Keynote Speaker, Dr. Alecia Rodriguez

Resilient Roots: Culturally Responsive Trauma Care
for BIPOC Communities

In this keynote, we’ll look at how trauma shows up in BIPOC communities and celebrate the cultural strengths that help individuals heal. Drawing on Dr. Rodriguez’  own experience as a former foster youth and her work in culturally aware care, we’ll show how unfair systems and how passed-down trauma affect mental health.  You’ll walk away with simple, practical steps to bring community-focused, fair-minded strategies into your trauma work—tools that help BIPOC clients take back control and build their own paths to healing.

Plenary Speaker, Dr. Frank Gorritz FitzSimmons

Navigating Trauma and Resilience in The Face of Inequity: A Counselor’s Journey Toward Advocacy and Empowerment

This plenary session will critically examine the systemic oppressions that challenge the healing efforts of Florida counselors and highlight the advocacy needed to uplift and empower minoritized communities. Drawing on personal and professional experiences, the speaker will examine how systemic oppression impacts both clients and clinicians in Florida’s marginalized communities. Through the lens of lived resilience shaped by marginalized identity, participants will be invited to reflect on their own values, renew their commitment to social justice, and restore their inner resolve as helpers. By integrating lived experience with advocacy tools, this session aims to inspire collective healing and empower counselors to address inequity while nurturing their own mental health.