Creating Positive Change Takes Courage. Be Part of the Solution.
- Why is it so challenging to know when and how to help?
- What steps can we take to foster true understanding about our positionality related to equity?
- How does trauma contribute to the social and emotional challenges?
Explore these critical questions and gain the knowledge and tools to support healing, connection, and meaningful progress.
Be Intentional. Be Engaged.
Become Urban Trauma® Informed.
If you are an educator, first responder, counselor, caseworker, or community leader working in urban environments, this is your opportunity to create meaningful impact. Be prepared and ready to support individuals and communities most affected by adversity and trauma.
Join the Urban Trauma® learning community today and gain the tools you need to foster healing, understanding, and resilience. You can be a leader who helps break cycles of hardship and inequity, creating positive and lasting change.
Be Intentional. Be Engaged.
Become Urban Trauma® Informed.
If you are an educator, first responder, counselor, caseworker, or community leader working in urban environments, this is your opportunity to create meaningful impact. Be prepared and ready to support individuals and communities most affected by adversity and trauma.
Join the Urban Trauma® learning community today and gain the tools you need to foster healing, understanding, and resilience. You can be a leader who helps break cycles of hardship and inequity, creating positive and lasting change.
WHAT IS URBAN TRAUMA®?
A Framework for Identifying, Understanding, and Healing
from Generational Trauma
Urban Trauma® is not a label or condition; it is a framework designed to help individuals and communities recognize, reclaim, and heal from the lasting impacts of adverse experiences. The foundational pillars of Urban Trauma®—history, biology, and environment—offer insight into how these interconnected factors contribute to stress and trauma experienced in urban settings.
Understanding
Historical Adversity
Gaining insight about the roots of racial trauma explained by the Urban Trauma® framework unpacks historical milestones and the lasting effects of those critical moments in time.
From generations of systemic hardship to modern-day challenges such as social determinants of health and unconscious bias, this historical context helps us recognize the long-term psychological and emotional impacts of these adversity.
By exploring this history, we build awareness and create pathways for healing, resilience, and meaningful progress.
Biology and
Epigenetics
Understanding the Impact of Trauma Across Generations.
Research in epigenetics has shown that prolonged exposure to stress and trauma can leave identifiable markers on our DNA.
These markers, often shaped by repeated exposure to subtle and explicit forms of stress, can be passed down through generations.
This inherited trauma can have profound effects on both physical and mental health, highlighting the importance of addressing and breaking these cycles to support healing and resilience.
The Role of Environment
in Development
Our environment plays a critical role in shaping how we navigate challenges and successes. When communities face ongoing inequities, such as limited access to resources or opportunities, individuals can become more vulnerable to stress and adversity, contributing to the development of racial trauma as described by the Urban Trauma® framework.
The Role of Environment
in Development
Our environment plays a critical role in shaping how we navigate challenges and successes. When communities face ongoing inequities, such as limited access to resources or opportunities, individuals can become more vulnerable to stress and adversity, contributing to the development of racial trauma as described by the Urban Trauma® framework.
Building Cultural Awareness and Responsiveness
Equip Yourself to Better Support Individuals Facing Hardships
Learn how to empower individuals to navigate challenges in today’s society by fostering resilience and growth.
Develop a heightened sense of cultural responsiveness by understanding your own biases and worldview to better connect with those you serve.
Become aware of adverse childhood experiences , such as the loss of a parent or exposure to violence, and how these factors can affect emotional well-being and academic performance.
Gain insight into how systemic barriers and generational adversity impact the everyday lives of individuals and communities
Tasha Hunt
Deputy Director III Court Support Services Division, Connecticut
“This is a powerful resource for practitioners seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the far-reaching impact of urban trauma on children and families involved in the juvenile justice system.”
Nuchette M. Black-Burke,
M.Ed.
Chief of Family and Community Partnerships, Hartford Public Schools
“Dr. Akbar connected with our families by sharing her own testimony of experiencing and coping with urban trauma. Hartford Public Schools (HPS) families were so inspired and challenged by Dr. Akbar, that she returned in September 2020 to open the school year with a message to our staff, teachers, and administrators. Her address to HPS challenged us to look at the ways we may be perpetuating trauma in classrooms, school buildings, and in our interactions with students & families.”
Dr. Akbar has collaborated with leading organizations worldwide
to help them strengthen their commitment to inclusion, belonging and meaningful change.
These collaborations span diverse industries, including professional sports, finance, law, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector
Tasha Hunt
Deputy Director III Court Support Services Division, Connecticut
“This is a powerful resource for practitioners seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the far-reaching impact of urban trauma on children and families involved in the juvenile justice system.”
Nuchette M. Black-Burke,
M.Ed.
Chief of Family and Community Partnerships, Hartford Public Schools
“Dr. Akbar connected with our families by sharing her own testimony of experiencing and coping with urban trauma. Hartford Public Schools (HPS) families were so inspired and challenged by Dr. Akbar, that she returned in September 2020 to open the school year with a message to our staff, teachers, and administrators. Her address to HPS challenged us to look at the ways we may be perpetuating trauma in classrooms, school buildings, and in our interactions with students & families.”
Dr. Akbar has collaborated with leading organizations worldwide
to help them strengthen their commitment to inclusion, belonging and meaningful change.
These collaborations span diverse industries, including professional sports, finance, law, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector
Urban Trauma® Informed
A COURSE FOR PROVIDERS,
HELPERS, AND HEALERS
A COURSE FOR PROVIDERS, HELPERS, AND HEALERS
Explore this series of multimedia modules, curated by Dr. Maysa Akbar, a leading expert in trauma and healing. These modules offer an in-depth understanding of the complexities of societal tensions and their impact on individuals and communities.
The course provides practical, easy-to-use guidelines to foster connection, understanding, and sustainable solutions. Anchored in the principles of the Urban Trauma® framework, this solution-focused training equips you with tools to support healing and resilience.
"I am relentless in my pursuit of finding the path toward healing and sustained mental wellness."
Dr. Maysa Akbar is a groundbreaking psychologist, best-selling author, and thought leader in trauma, healing, and equity. She is sought after by corporations, philanthropies, nonprofit organizations, urban school districts, and social service agencies to foster understanding, promote equity, and drive meaningful change. With insight, courage, and passion, Dr. Akbar creates impactful conversations that bridge communities, empowering individuals and organizations alike.
A Defining Moment.
Early in her career, Dr. Akbar recalls a pivotal moment:
"I was sitting around a table, surrounded by individuals who were trying to determine how to support children in underserved neighborhoods. They spoke about our beautiful children as if they were somehow broken, without understanding the challenges these families faced—the history, the systemic barriers, and the lack of resources available in their schools and communities."
"At that moment, I realized I could not be a passive observer. I stepped up to challenge the status quo, advocating for change, educating others about the lasting impact of generational trauma , and deepening my work to support individuals and communities on their journey toward healing and resilience."
Dr. Akbar’s efforts have been supported by allies, collaborators, and advocates who helped elevate her work and amplify the Urban Trauma® framework and the Allyship Identity Model—powerful tools for understanding and breaking cycles of trauma.
A Leader in the Field.
Dr. Akbar is a board-certified clinical psychologist. She held an academic appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University, School of Medicine. She is the founder of Integrated Wellness Group, a psychotherapy practice specializing in treating trauma and a variety of associated mental health conditions since 2008.
I WANT TO BE INFORMED!
"I am relentless in my pursuit of finding the path toward healing and sustained mental wellness."
Dr. Maysa Akbar is a groundbreaking psychologist, best-selling author, and thought leader in trauma, healing, and equity. She is sought after by corporations, philanthropies, nonprofit organizations, urban school districts, and social service agencies to foster understanding, promote equity, and drive meaningful change. With insight, courage, and passion, Dr. Akbar creates impactful conversations that bridge communities, empowering individuals and organizations alike.
A Defining Moment.
Early in her career, Dr. Akbar recalls a pivotal moment:
"I was sitting around a table, surrounded by individuals who were trying to determine how to support children in underserved neighborhoods. They spoke about our beautiful children as if they were somehow broken, without understanding the challenges these families faced—the history, the systemic barriers, and the lack of resources available in their schools and communities."
"At that moment, I realized I could not be a passive observer. I stepped up to challenge the status quo, advocating for change, educating others about the lasting impact of generational trauma , and deepening my work to support individuals and communities on their journey toward healing and resilience."
Dr. Akbar’s efforts have been supported by allies, collaborators, and advocates who helped elevate her work and amplify the Urban Trauma® framework and the Allyship Identity Model—powerful tools for understanding and breaking cycles of trauma.
A Leader in the Field.
Dr. Akbar is a board-certified clinical psychologist. She held an academic appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University, School of Medicine. She is the founder of Integrated Wellness Group, a psychotherapy practice specializing in treating trauma and a variety of associated mental health conditions since 2008.
I WANT TO BE INFORMED!
What It Means to Become
Urban Trauma® Informed
- Gain a deeper understanding of the six characteristics outlined in the Urban Trauma® framework and their effects on individuals and communities.
- Recognize the impact of adversity and bias, both explicit and implicit, on daily experiences and emotional well-being.
- See with a new perspective how economic factors and social disparities often present in underserved communities and the historical implications that maintain dysfunction and toxicity.
- Develop clearer insight into behavioral patterns and limiting beliefs shaped by stress and adversity.
- Learn practical tools to help individuals find balance, resilience, and begin their journey toward emotional wellness and healing.
- Understand the processes that foster mental toughness and resilience.
- Cultivate cultural intelligence to better connect with and support the communities you serve.
- Join a vibrant learning community dedicated to fostering equity, understanding, and impactful change.
You Will Also Gain a
Lifetime Benefit From:
- Opportunities for self-reflection to explore your own identity, beliefs and implicit biases.
- A deeper sense of commitment with practical applications to your community work, anchored in equity and understanding.
The Urban Trauma® Informed Program
The program is structured into nine comprehensive modules designed to engage and educate through various learning styles:
The Urban Trauma® Informed Program
The program is structured into nine comprehensive modules designed to engage and educate through various learning styles:
Multimedia
Content
Each module includes information delivered through audio, video, and curated online articles to reinforce key lessons.
Homework
Assignments
Assignments at the end of each module help you master the material before moving forward.
Self-Reflection
Opportunities
Built-in moments of self-reflection encourage you to explore how the concepts of Urban Trauma® may relate to your experiences or the individuals and communities you serve.
Practical
Application
Each module is not just a source of knowledge but a step toward applying these insights to your everyday life and work.
Multimedia
Content
Each module includes information delivered through audio, video, and curated online articles to reinforce key lessons.
Homework
Assignments
Assignments at the end of each module help you master the material before moving forward.
Self-Reflection
Opportunities
Built-in moments of self-reflection encourage you to explore how the concepts of Urban Trauma® may relate to your experiences or the individuals and communities you serve.
Practical
Application
Each module is not just a source of knowledge but a step toward applying these insights to your everyday life and work.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Dr. Akbar is passionate about sharing the transformative impact of the Urban Trauma® framework in fostering healing and resilience within communities. If you are not completely satisfied with the course materials or the knowledge gained during the Urban Trauma® Informed program, we offer a full refund of your enrollment fee within 30 days.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Dr. Akbar is passionate about sharing the transformative impact of the Urban Trauma® framework in fostering healing and resilience within communities. If you are not completely satisfied with the course materials or the knowledge gained during the Urban Trauma® Informed program, we offer a full refund of your enrollment fee within 30 days.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- How long does it take to complete this program?
We recommend that you spend a few days on each module in order to absorb the information, reflect on your own role in historic systemic racism, and complete the homework assignments. With nine modules, we estimate that it will take about three weeks. With the online format, you can learn at your own pace.
- I feel uncomfortable about some of the topics this program will cover.
That’s a natural response to new learnings and perspectives you may never have considered. Becoming Urban Trauma® Informed requires that you move out of your comfort zone to confront serious issues associated with racial injustice. You should expect to experience some discomfort. Recognize those feelings and acknowledge them as signs of personal growth.
- Can I return to previous modules to refresh my understanding of a topic?
Absolutely! You have access to the entire program for one full year after your enrollment. Feel free to review materials at your leisure.
- Can I share my lessons with others in my community?
We encourage you to share your newfound knowledge with others in your community and the people you serve. You will also join a learning community of many Urban Trauma practitioners who will be training alongside you. But please recognize that your access to the membership site is limited to you and only you. The materials in the program are copyrighted by Dr. Maysa Akbar and are not available for duplication or distribution without her permission.
The Urban Trauma® Informed Program
"Exclusive Training, Designed for Impact"
This program is uniquely available through Urban Trauma®. Register now to gain the tools and knowledge to support individuals affected by adverse experiences and trauma, helping them build resilience and restore hope for a better future. It ends with us, and starts with you.
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