Engaging BIPOC Communities Effectively Using Telehealth

Description

Racial trauma and cultural stress are real—and when left unacknowledged in behavioral health care, they can create barriers that telehealth only amplifies. That’s why clinicians working with BIPOC clients must be equipped with tools that go beyond the screen to build trust, foster connection, and respond with cultural humility, insight, and efficacy.

This course offers more than theory—it’s a hands-on, culturally grounded guide for showing up with presence and purpose in telehealth spaces.

Dr. Ritchie J. Rubio, a clinical psychologist, expressive arts therapist, and global mental health consultant, brings more than two decades of experience across three countries to this course. His work with immigrant and multicultural families, combined with his leadership in trauma-informed systems and culturally-adapted interventions, makes him a sought-after educator and consultant in behavioral telehealth.

Dr. Rubio’s teaching approach blends storytelling, somatic practices, expressive arts, and evidence-based frameworks to help learners develop culturally-grounded, trauma-informed care via telehealth. The course is experiential, reflective, and grounded in both scholarly research and community wisdom.

Topics include racial and ethnic socialization, the HEART Framework, culturally-adapted CBT, storytelling techniques such as cuento and dichos, somatic interventions for racial trauma, the use of mobile apps for accessible care, and practical strategies to co-create healing-centered virtual spaces. You’ll also explore models like Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Narrative Exposure Therapy, and the Three R’s for trauma care.

Key Takeaways:

• Adapt trauma-focused care: Apply culturally-informed modifications to interventions for BIPOC clients.

• Strengthen client access and engagement: Use digital tools and methods to reduce disparities and increase connection.

• Create a strategic plan: Build a telehealth action plan that centers racial equity and trauma responsiveness.

Why this course?

• Clinically relevant and culturally grounded: Offers real tools and interventions rooted in both evidence and lived experience.

• Led by a globally respected expert: Dr. Rubio brings deep insight from diverse systems and community settings.

• From a trusted CE provider: Telehealth Certification Institute equips professionals with forward-thinking, practice-ready training.

Learning Objectives:

• Illustrate at least two ways of culturally-adapting trauma-focused interventions when working with BIPOC clients.

• Identify and describe at least two strategies to increase BIPOC clients’ access and engagement to behavioral telehealth.

• Construct and organize a tentative plan with at least two action steps on how to use telehealth tools to help address racial trauma and other cultural needs that are unique to BIPOC clients.

With culturally adapted care more essential than ever, this course offers a meaningful opportunity to expand your impact as a telehealth provider. Join us in advancing equity through informed, responsive, and compassionate clinical practice.

Enroll today and empower your practice to help bridge gaps in care for BIPOC communities in a virtual setting.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 1.5 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Ritchie Rubio Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Rubio works as a clinical child psychologist, play and expressive arts therapist, researcher-storyteller, program evaluator, statistical consultant, data analyst, telehealth trainer/consultant, and associate professor/lecturer in a variety of clinical and academic settings including public health systems, universities, pediatric hospitals, community mental health settings, schools, and research institutes in three countries: the Philippines, U.S.A., and New Zealand. He moved from the Philippines at the age of 25, completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Child and Family emphasis from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) through a Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP) grant. He is currently the Director of Practice Improvement and Analytics of the Children, Youth, and Families System of Care (CYF-SOC) Behavioral Health Services (BHS) at the San Francisco Department of Public Health in California, USA. In that role, he plans and coordinates a clinical practice improvement and evaluation program focused on identifying best trauma-informed and diversity-responsive practices; and utilizing implementation science to design and strengthen clinical assessment and interventions. He is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Counseling Psychology programs of the University of San Francisco and the Berkeley Wright Institute. He teaches courses such as Research and Statistics; Crisis and Trauma Counseling; Neuroscience; Child and Adolescent Counseling; Family Violence and Protection; Individual, and Family Development; and Clinical Assessment and Measures. His clinical work was/is primarily with immigrant and multicultural children/youth and their families. He mostly integrates psychodynamic, attachment, family systems, multicultural, expressive arts, play therapy, and CBT orientations.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 1.5 continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 2/9/2022. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 90 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state, and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement