An anonymous donor has generously offered to sponsor the registration fees for up to five pre-licensed attendees! Please email info@resonantequity.org if you are a student, trainee, or associate (who is not a CSJ member) who would like to attend this training. (CSJ student members can already register for free! The registration instructions are on ACA Connect or contact Resonant Equity at info@resonantequity.org with your CSJ member ID and we’ll send them to you.)
Resonant Equity is pleased to present:
Protecting Immigrant Clients: Counseling Advocacy in Practice
Lisa Wenninger, PhD, MBA, LPCC/LPC/LMHC, NCC, BC-TMH (she/her)
Sandra Espinoza, PsyD, LMFT (she/her)
Elizabeth Holmes (she/they)
Date: Friday, May 29, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM to 11:15 AM Pacific / 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM Mountain / 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM Central / 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM Eastern
CE hours available: 2
- Intended for: Novice/Beginning Learners: No advance knowledge required
- NBCC Content Area: Counseling Theory/Practice and the Counseling Relationship, Social and Cultural Foundations, Counselor Professional Identity and Practice Issues
Program Description
This program is designed to prepare clinicians, especially students and trainees, with the knowledge and tools to advocate for and support undocumented clients, clients with immigrant backgrounds or connections to immigrant communities, and families impacted by the threat of deportation. This training focuses on social justice advocacy as an imperative aspect of clinical counseling, especially with the most vulnerable populations. This training has three components:
- The first hour (9am to 10am PT) will be a presentation by Dr. Sandra Espinoza on the realities that undocumented individuals, as well non-citizens and even U.S. citizens, are now facing, including the relational ruptures, attachment disruptions, and trauma responses that often accompany deportation-related family separation. Participants will learn how to integrate trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive, and systemic approaches in their work.
- The second hour (10:15am to 11:15am PT)will be a practical training by Dr. Lisa Wenninger in documentation practices that approach client confidentiality from a new perspective, based on possible harm that can come to clients when they are targeted based on their identities.
Those two components comprise the 2-CE training that is available to all participants.
- Thereafter, a third hour (11:30am to 12:30pm PT) will be an experiential workshop open only to current graduate student members of CSJ who are attending any counseling program. This is a closed session to support learners at an earlier stage of their professional development to practice skills together with their peers. This experiential section will be led by Future Dr. Elizabeth Holmes in practicing intake assessment techniques, for students to implement the knowledge gained in the first two sections of the training that day. Students will be invited to do a mock intake interview with a “client”, and observers will practice capturing the contents of the intake in their assessment form using client-centered, social justice oriented defensive documentation techniques. Time permitting, we will also facilitate a candid discussion on how to advocate for clients with supervisors and colleagues within clinical training environments.
The CE-eligible sections of this program (from 9am to 11:15am PT) are open to any mental health practitioner. The last hour will be only for current counseling students who have an active CSJ membership.
Educational Goals
This training is focused on skills, knowledge, and practice of social justice advocacy in the context of the ACA Advocacy Competencies (Toporek & Daniels, 2018) and the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts et al., 2016).
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:- Describe the impact of deportation and deportation related threat on the mental health of undocumented individuals and families.
- Apply at least two culturally sensitive and trauma informed approaches/interventions to clients affected by deportation and deportation related threat.
- Apply at least two strategies to conduct a culturally grounded and sensitive assessment to better understand the needs of undocumented individuals and families.
- Define the data elements that would comprise a “medical record” and contrast it to protected category of documentation called “psychotherapy notes” under HIPAA
- Perform and document an intake assessment with a non-citizen client using techniques designed for sensitivity
Equity Focus
This training focuses on caring for vulnerable clients in ways that acknowledges their vulnerability and employs the counselor’s relative privilege towards the ethical guideline of nonmaleficence.
Presenters
Presenter Name: Lisa Wenninger, PhD, MBA, LPCC/LPC/LMHC, NCC, BC-TMH (she/her)
Dr. Lisa Wenninger (she/her) has a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Antioch University Seattle. She is a National Certified Counselor and is licensed in California, Washington, and Virginia, with a telehealth-only social justice counseling practice working with individuals with marginalized identities who are navigating a complex and difficult world. Dr. Wenninger serves on the Board of Counselors for Social Justice to promote advocacy and allyship within the counseling profession and help nurture development of the professional identity of counselor-advocate in colleagues. Dr. Wenninger makes a point to attend the meetings of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and in other ways stay on top of laws and regulations affecting counselors and our clients. She regularly provides continuing education courses on topics such as law and ethics of telehealth, culturally informed diagnosing, and antiracism in counseling, and consults with organizations interested in building more inclusive and welcoming cultures.
Presenter Name: Sandra Espinoza, PsyD, LMFT (she/her)
Dr. Sandra Espinoza, PsyD, LMFT (she/her) is an Associate Professor and Branch Director of the Couple and Family Therapy program at Alliant International University in Los Angeles. A bilingual Mexican-American therapist and AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Dr. Espinoza integrates cultural humility, social justice, anti-oppressive, anti-carceral approaches, and advocacy in her scholarship, teaching, and practice. She has presented on the issue of immigration and deportation at the local and national level. She has been in clinical practice for over 14 years and maintains a private practice supporting mostly interracial couples and Latinx clients.
Presenter Name: Elizabeth Holmes (she/they)
Elizabeth A. Holmes, LMHC, NCC, CMHS is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Washington, serving clients in a community behavioral health setting. They work with clients across the lifespan, specializing in diagnostic assessment, crisis intervention, and gender-affirming care. Elizabeth provides internal agency consultation and community training regarding the needs of queer clients and supports fellow counselors through clinical supervision. They hold a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Florida A&M University and are currently pursuing a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision through Antioch University’s low-residency program. Elizabeth’s emerging research interests focus on the counseling experiences of gender-diverse individuals living with psychosis and on advancing the counseling profession’s capacity to effectively serve clients with this unique intersection of identities and mental health needs.
Qualifies for 2.0 CE hours.
Resonant Equity, Inc. is authorized by NBCC to issue CEs. NBCC CEs are accepted by most state licensing boards, including California. Please check with your licensing board for their specific policies.
Continuing Education Program Policies
By registering for this course, you accept and agree to these policies.
NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider |
Resonant Equity, Inc. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7682. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Resonant Equity, Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. |
Resonant Equity sells access to a learning experience; we do not sell CEs. CEs are earned based on meeting the requirements set by our ACEP license with NBCC. You are welcome and even encouraged to engage with our learning content without needing the CE credit. However, if the CE hours are important to you, we require meeting these policies so that we may be in compliance with our obligations to the profession.
Participation in the training in full including attendance for the entire duration is required in order to qualify for CEs for that training. Instructions for attending, including how to access the online Zoom meeting or other online broadcast platform, are provided in the registration confirmation email. These instructions can also be found by logging onto your account at www.resonantequity.org. It is the responsibility of the participant to troubleshoot any technology access issues ahead of time. Resonant Equity, Inc. cannot provide technical support, and is not liable in the event of any internet outage, misdirected email due to entering a wrong address by the registrant, or other technology problem on the participant’s side that prevents access to the training. We are unable to provide refunds for such circumstances.
Participation requirements: Participants are invited to take care of their own needs during the course of a training, however if off camera for an extended time, then participants must be in close enough proximity to their viewing device that they can respond to any requests sent by voice or chat to confirm their active presence in the training experience. Participation in breakout rooms, if part of the training, is expected in order to engage in the learning activities. If you will be attending and are unable to participate in these ways due to specific circumstances, we do understand, and would appreciate being informed in advance if at all possible.
Completion Requirements for CE Credit – Home Study ProgramsResonant Equity, Inc. is approved by NBCC as a continuing education provider of home study (on-demand) training programs for mental health providers (ACEP #7682). In order to award CE hours, participants must complete the full duration of training, including watching any videos or listening to audio content in its entirety (no fast forward or skipping ahead), and reading all provided text-based learning materials in full. Completion is also verified by passing the assessment that checks knowledge based on the training content. CE certificates cannot be issued until completion is confirmed. Wherever possible, we implement technology based tracking to support these requirements, however some course content relies on the honor system for participants to attest to completion. We hope that our training content is engaging enough that you choose to take full advantage of the learning opportunities we design.
CE CertificatesAttendees who have been confirmed as meeting the requirements to earn the CE units will receive an email with instructions on completing the course evaluation within a week of the training. The course evaluation must be submitted within 30 days of the training, which allows us to learn from your feedback when it is fresh. The CE certificate will be generated immediately once the evaluation is received and sent to your email address on file. If you are missing a CE certificate for a training that you believe you qualified for, please reach out to programs@resonantequity.org to inquire.
Refunds and Cancellations for Real-Time EventsAny registration for a real-time (“live” synchronous) program produced by Resonant Equity, Inc. may be cancelled and a refund issued in full if the request to cancel is received 10 days before the scheduled program date. For cancellations received from 3 days to 9 days before the program date, a refund less $10 admin fee will be issued. For cancellations received in the 72 hours before the start time of the training on the program date, a credit in the amount of the registration fee paid less $10 will be issued; such credit must be used within a year, and any subsequent registration to which that credit is applied cannot be refunded or credited thereafter. No refunds or credits available if no advance request to cancel is received before the start time the day of the training.
AccommodationsResonant Equity, Inc. conducts all programs in alignment with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you would like to request accommodations in order to participate in one of our programs, please email us when you register or at least 7 days ahead of the program date to inform us of your needs so that we may develop a solution together.
Acceptance of All and Non-Discriminatory StanceResonant Equity, Inc. does not discriminate against any individual or group with respect to any service, program, or activity on the basis of gender identity; race or ethnicity; national origin, citizenship, or immigration status; sexual or romantic affiliation; religion; age; organizational membership, or any other basis prohibited by law. We do not require program participants to accept or adhere to any religion or religious principles.
Confidentiality of Participant Information and Recording PracticesResonant Equity, Inc. protects personal participant information received during registration, and provides the information only to those needing access in order to produce the program. We do not share participant information with other organizations without express permission from the individual. Most of our real-time synchronous courses (programs delivered live) are recorded, and by registering for and attending such a program, all participants give consent to be included in such an authorized recording. Recording by others, including by any participants, is not permitted.
Participants may choose to protect their identities by staying off camera and muted during the presentation. By unmuting or turning camera on, permission is granted for their likeness (name, voice, image) to be included in the recorded version which may be published as an on-demand (home study) course. AI tools and other technologies may be deployed in producing an asynchronous (on-demand) learning product from a recorded training.
Anyone who has registered for any Resonant Equity, Inc. trainings may request their data to be removed from our database by contacting us with the request, however please note that based on our record keeping and retention requirements as a CE provider, we must maintain rosters and logs for all of our participants for at least five years, and these rosters and logs may be submitted to our licensing body, NBCC, upon their request. In addition, any complaint filed with Resonant Equity, Inc. concerning our CE programs will be shared with NBCC.
Disclosure or Use of Client InformationIdentifiable client information will not be disclosed by a presenter in a Resonant Equity, Inc. program. Instead, composites of real-life scenarios or clients, and fictional case examples, are designed for case conceptualization, role playing, and educational purposes. Participants asking questions in a training are directed to protect client information.
Respect for Copyright and Intellectual PropertyResonant Equity, Inc. asks all of our presenters to respect intellectual property rights, and to affirm that materials used in any Resonant Equity training or program do not infringe on rights of others, including copyright, trademark, and license rights. Resonant Equity, Inc. affirms that it either owns the materials used with respect to a qualifying program, or is permitted by law to use such materials with respect to a program. If any inappropriate use of materials is suspected in one of our programs, please contact us using the Contact form on the website and we will promptly investigate. To support academic integrity, Resonant Equity, Inc. requires presenters to include a reference list for all sources included in their presentation. Except for noted references and citations, the program content itself is protected intellectual property of Resonant Equity, Inc. and/or the presenter, and Resonant Equity, Inc. requests that participants do not record our programs.
ComplaintsConcerns or complaints from any participant or potential participant about Resonant Equity, Inc. or a continuing education program we provide may be submitted directly to Resonant Equity, Inc. using the Contact Us form on our website. Please provide a valid email address on such submission. Although we cannot guarantee a particular outcome, we will consider all complaints submitted, make any necessary decisions, and respond within 3 weeks of receipt. Formal complaints about our continuing education programs are forwarded to NBCC as part of our ACEP agreement with them.
ACEP Provider Contact InformationFor purposes of inquiry into any of our programs and policies, or to request accommodations as a participant, please use the Contact form on our website at https://resonantequity.org/about/contact/. Resonant Equity, Inc. may also be reached at programs@resonantequity.org.