Episode Rewind: The Importance of Role Models - Dr. Samuel Aymer

In honor of Black History month, we revisit a conversation from Season 2 with Dr. Samuel Aymer, a professor of Social Work at Hunter College.
"How do we hold multiple truths? How do we (as people of color) embrace our humanity when that humanity is not always valued," asks Samuel Aymer, a professor of Social Work at Hunter College. "It's not the first thing that comes up... This is difficult stuff to talk about."
This is a conversation about the importance of reflection. Of seeing ourselves when we walk through the world. Having role models to look up to who challenge and encourage us to be our best selves. And in the face of difference, to have those conversations that give us a window into experiences we have not lived so that we can learn and grow.
Samuel Aymer teaches Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families and Violence Against Women at Hunter College in New York. His scholarly and research endeavors centers on the intersection of masculinity, African American men, race, trauma, intimate partner violence, fatherhood and psychotherapeutic interventions.
As you listen to this episode consider:

• How are you reflected in the community around you?
• What impact does that reflection have on you? On your sense of belonging? On your understanding of value?
• How can we work to expand our experiences? Of enhancing the reflections around us? How might that expansion enhance our own growth?

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