Presented by Akilah Riley-Richardson
 
Intimacy is political. Our degree of power and privilege in the wider world determines the relational themes that sit in our bodies. Experiences connected to our status in the world can often lay fundamental messages in our bodies about how we should function and are seen in all relationships, even romantic ones. These messages outline how much we can trust, be accountable, depend on others, and be responsive to needs outside of our own. Additionally, we learn how much risk we can take in our romantic relationships as a result of our power in the world. In this session, we will look at the stories that sit in the bodies of racially marginalized bodies that determine how they define, experience and understand intimacy. We will also look at ways in which surrogate partners should show up in order to provide the correct holding environment for these experiences. Of importance is the concept of liberatory connections and how it can be fostered in surrogate partner therapy.
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Explain the concept of “Stories on the Margin”
Identify and explain one’s own intimacy story as a surrogate partner
Explain the ways in which racism and privilege affects intimacy stories, self-development, self-trust and self in relationships
Outline three means of building liberatory connections while working as a surrogate partner.
Articulate the value and process of surrogate partners in undoing the effects of racialised harm in their work.
 
About the Presenters
 
This session will go from 3:00 to 5:40 Pacific time, which includes 2.5 hours and allows for a 10-minute break somewhere in the middle, at a time that is appropriate for the material. Then the guest speakers will leave us, and there will be an additional half hour, from 5:40 to 6:10, which will be a facilitated discussion and integration of the prior content. This last half hour is optional, so if you’ve had enough at that point you are welcome to skip it. If you choose to stay, you will be invited to consider questions, either all together or in breakout groups, like “What most impacted you from today’s session?” “How do you think you can incorporate this in your work as a surrogate partner?”