Overall Series Description:

The Building Bridges Across Difference: A Dialogue for Every Day series equips faculty, staff, and students with practical tools to foster connection and understanding across differences in today’s polarized climate. Grounded in the Center for Social Justice Dialogue's commitment to shared power and inclusive practices, this series provides strategies to build trust, navigate challenging and emotionally charged moments, and create environments that encourage community and mutual respect. By embracing intergroup dialogue practices daily, participants will enhance their ability to inspire critical self-reflection, cultural storytelling, generous listening, and loving accountability.

All sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 11:30 - 1:30 pm and will be held VIRTUALLY.

If you have accessibility needs, please email csjdialogue@umbc.edu.

Session Descriptions:

1. Exploring Socialization and Liberation, 9/17

RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/143931
From childhood to the workplace, we are influenced by powerful cultural and institutional messages that shape our understanding of who we are and how we relate to others. In this session, we’ll engage the Cycles of Socialization and Liberation to examine how these messages shape our perspectives and behaviors. Participants will reflect on their own socialization and explore ways to move toward more equitable and liberatory practices.

2. Understanding Identity in Community, 10/15

RSVP: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csjd/events/143932
Each of us brings a unique set of identities to our roles on campus, some are visible, while others are less so. This session uses an identity chart activity to explore how our identities influence our experiences, relationships, and sense of belonging at UMBC. Together, we’ll build a shared understanding of power, privilege, and difference, and explore what each of us can do about it at UMBC.

Program proposals by Dr. Rae Chresfield, assistant vice president for health and wellbeing, have been accepted to the 2025 European Conference for Student Affairs and Services, and to the 2025 Advancing School Mental Health Conference.

In November, Dr. Chresfield will attend NASPA’s European Conference for Student Affairs and Services in Porto, Portugal. The conference provides a platform for student services professionals, academics, researchers, and policymakers to discuss innovative programs, practices, models and trends in student affairs. 

Dr. Chresfield will present “Anchored and Adaptive: Embedding Wellbeing, Resilience, and Meaning in the Practice of Student Affairs”: Student Affairs professionals face unprecedented challenges while supporting students through global uncertainty. This innovative session integrates well-being, resilience, and meaning-making as interconnected professional competencies. Participants will engage with practical frameworks: “Four Pillars of Wellbeing,” “Three R' of Resilience,” and meaning cultivation strategies, and develop 30-day implementation plans with peer accountability partnerships.

In December, Dr. Chresfield will attend the Advancing School Mental Health Conference in Orlando, Florida. This premier interdisciplinary conference focuses on school mental health and brings together local, state, national, and international experts to advance knowledge and skills related to school mental health practice, research, training, and policy. It unites educators, counselors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, physicians, mental health leaders, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, family members, advocates, and other partners in the school mental health field to share the latest research and best practices. The conference emphasizes a shared school-family-community agenda to promote mental health, prevent issues, and provide interventions for students and families as part of a multi-tiered system of support. 

Dr. Chresfield will present “Empowering Non-Clinical Staff to Support Student Mental Health”: The rising student mental health crisis necessitates expanding support beyond traditional clinical services. This study examines training non-clinical staff—teachers, administrators, residence advisors, and support personnel—to serve as mental health first responders. Through targeted training in mental health literacy, warning sign identification, and referral protocols, non-clinical staff can effectively bridge gaps between distressed students and professional services.