Healing Through Societal Transformation:
From Cultural Betrayal Trauma To Institutional Courage & Dreamstorming
Jennifer M. Gómez, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health at Boston University. Additionally, she serves on the Boards of the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD), Center for Institutional Courage, and End Rape On Campus. She is a co-editor of the upcoming special issue of Journal of Trauma & Dissociation on intersectionality and dissociation. Dr. Gómez’ research centers around cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT), which she created as a Black feminist theoretical framework for examining the impact of violence within the context of inequality on Black and other marginalized populations. Her research has been published in over 100 peer-reviewed journals, books, newsletters, regional and national media outlets, and the Open Science Framework. Her work has been funded by the Ford Foundation Fellowships Program, administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine (NASEM), the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR)—National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University. Her transdisciplinary book, “The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse”, published by the American Psychological Association, won the 2024 ISSTD Frank W Putnam Outstanding Book Award. In “The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls”, Dr. Gómez centers Black women and girls through incorporating basic research on racism, intersectional oppression, and cultural betrayal trauma theory, as well as application in the form of culturally competent trauma therapy, radical healing in the Black community, and institutional courage to promote societal transformation. https://jmgomez.org