Developing Empowered Spaces

In 2023, with support from the Rhode Island Foundation, The Phoenix Empowered launched a mental health literacy training program for outpatient and primary care healthcare providers in Rhode Island. Our goal was to provide education about the intersection between identity-based harm and clinical presentations of psychological distress, with particular attention to hate-based violence and cultural trauma. The Empowered Spaces (ES) training program provided exposure to these phenomena and introduced principles grounded in radical healing to create spaces where patients are affirmed, uplifted, and empowered to rise. From this pilot program, we extended the ES program nationwide and introduced the content to new sectors like education, public transportation, corporations, and community organizations. The response has been consistent: these conversations need to happen. We continue to provide this training and have expanded our services to provide more workshop offerings that focus more deeply on specific areas of the training program.

Each workshop is rooted in healing justice, lived experience, and clinical insight—designed to center historically marginalized communities, build capacity for care, and create space for reflection and transformation. All offerings can be tailored to your audience (e.g., staff, students, clinicians, community leaders) and adjusted for length, depth, and format.

Featured Workshops

  • This workshop explores how targeted violence—whether rooted in racism, xenophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other forms of identity-based oppression—affects mental health, community cohesion, and personal safety. Participants will deepen their understanding of trauma responses (including collective-level and cultural trauma), and leave with tools for individual and collective care, especially in the aftermath of highly visible or personal incidents. This work is grounded by José’s doctoral research program and is particularly focused on intersectional communities.

    Audience Fit: 
    Schools, healthcare orgs, nonprofits, DEI teams

    Optional Add-On: 
    Community processing circle or affinity-based healing space

    Participant Takeaways:

    • Increased understanding of how hate-based violence affects individuals and communities

    • Language to talk about systemic harm, trauma responses, and healing

    • Tools for supporting oneself and others in the aftermath of violence

    • A renewed sense of connection and responsibility to community care

  • This session introduces participants to the Radical Healing framework—centered around critical consciousness, cultural authenticity, strength/resistance, collective healing, and radical hope. Through storytelling, reflection, and dialogue, participants explore what it means to thrive (not just survive) while navigating systems that were not built for our liberation. Can be delivered as a fireside chat or workshop. This work is grounded in José’s research and lived experience, and is inspired by the work of powerful scholars and healers of color.

    Audience Fit: 
    Scholars (13+), community groups, youth orgs, wellness retreats, foundations

    Popular Formats: 
    Keynote conversation, cohort workshop, or interactive retreat session

    Participant Takeaways:

    • Introduction to the Radical Healing framework and how it applies personally and collectively

    • Reflection on the intersections of identity, resistance, and joy

    • Strategies for reclaiming cultural pride and imagining liberatory futures

    • A space to process and reconnect with community through shared storytelling

  • This session breaks down the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in clear, actionable terms and invites reflection on how ableism shows up in workplace and academic spaces. It balances legal rights education with relational, justice-oriented approaches to accessibility. Participants gain tools for self-advocacy, supporting colleagues, and creating inclusive environments that go beyond compliance to center true belonging. José pulls from his experiences as a disabled individual and a former disability services professional in higher education to develop this offering.

    Audience Fit: 
    University/college students, employers, HR teams, faculty/staff development, access services, and disability affinity groups

    Add-Ons:
    Accessibility consultation, policy consultation, disability storytelling panel

    Participant Takeaways:

    • Clarity on legal rights and responsibilities under the ADA

    • Practical steps for requesting and supporting accommodations

    • Greater awareness of the impact of ableism in professional and educational settings

    • Vision for building inclusive, equitable spaces that prioritize access and care

  • A hands-on, gently guided workshop using expressive arts to support healing and self-discovery. Participants engage in activities such as painting, drawing, and music to reflect on themes like identity, transition, or resilience. No prior art experience is needed—just openness to the creative process. This is not art therapy—but it is a therapeutic space, grounded in the belief that creativity is a tool for liberation. José is a certified expressive arts facilitator and can adapt a workshop to meet client needs.

    Audience Fit:
    Community orgs, student groups, clinicians, caregivers, healing spaces

    Optional Themes:
    Healing from burnout, holding intersectional complexity, reimagining the future

    Participant Takeaways:

    • Personal exploration through low-pressure, creative activities

    • New tools for reflection, emotional expression, and grounding

    • A deeper understanding of creativity as a healing resource

    • Opportunities for connection and storytelling in a nonverbal or multimodal way

  • This workshop addresses the often-silenced realities of mental health struggles in professional spaces. We explore the complexities of suicidality in the workplace, how to ethically respond to colleagues in distress, and what it means to witness or be impacted by harm within an institution—including when that harm doesn’t directly affect you. The session provides tools for peer support, trauma-informed response, and policy considerations—all while naming the emotional toll on those who care.

    Audience Fit:
    Nonprofit teams, healthcare providers, workplace wellness programs, educators

    Includes: 
    Scenario-based discussion, reflective prompts, and resourcing strategies

    Optional Add-On: 
    Leadership coaching on policy alignment and accountability culture

    Participant Takeaways:

    • A trauma-informed lens for understanding suicidality and harm in the workplace

    • Concrete tools for compassionate response and peer support

    • Insight into the emotional impact of witnessing harm or carrying others' pain

    • Strategies to build a culture of accountability, care, and long-term support for mental health at work

Each offering is adaptable in content and format—designed to meet the unique needs of your community while building lasting skills, insight, and connection.

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