Resmaa Menakem

MSW, LICSW, SEP

As a therapist, trauma specialist, and founder of Justice Leadership Solutions, Resmaa Menakem dedicates his expertise to coaching leaders through civil unrest, organizational change, and community building. The author of the New York Times bestseller My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, he is a popular speaker and interview subject, having appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Good Day LA, and numerous other programs and in a variety of publications.

Menakem is also the author of 101 Tips for Emerging Justice Leaders and Rock the Boat: How to Use Conflict to Heal and Deepen Relationships. A licensed and independent clinical social worker and Somatic Experiencing practitioner, he studied and trained at Dr. Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Passionate about healing historical and racialized trauma carried in the body and the soul, he currently teaches workshops on Cultural Somatics for audiences of African Americans, European Americans, and police officers. Or in his words, “I help people, communities, and organizations find strength in healing that is holistic and resilient.”

Mentored by the late clinical psychologist Dr. David Schnarch for 20 years, Menakem has built a worldwide reputation as a leading voice in today’s conversation on racialized trauma and is currently working with notable organizations including the NFL and several major police departments and cities. Menakem has served as a trauma consultant for the Minneapolis Public Schools and as a Cultural Somatics consultant for the Minneapolis Police Department. In the role of community care counselor, he managed the wellness and counseling services for civilians on 53 US military bases in Afghanistan.

AREAS OF SPECIALTY:
Racialized Trauma