The Role of Race and Implicit Bias in Schools: Addressing the Need for Equity

Description

When implicit bias goes unchecked in schools, it quietly shapes decision-making that can derail the success of students of color. For many BIPOC students, academic outcomes are often less about performance and more about perception.

In this thought-provoking course, you’ll explore the roots of implicit racial bias in education and discover how to begin interrupting cycles of harm—starting with awareness and leading to sustainable action.

Dr. Sonja Sutherland, PhD, LPC, ACS, BC-TMH, is a nationally recognized educator, clinician, and advocate for culturally responsive care and equity in education. With decades of experience in counseling and mental health education, Dr. Sutherland brings deep insight into how race, identity, and bias intersect in school systems and how clinicians and educators alike can lead the way toward change.

Through Dr. Sutherland’s clear, compassionate, and research-informed teaching style, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how implicit bias develops and persists—and how it impacts both individual relationships and institutional decisions.

This one-hour, self-paced training explores how implicit bias takes root, how it shows up in daily school interactions, and how educators and behavioral health professionals can support more equitable outcomes. Dr. Sutherland introduces critical race theory as a foundational lens and addresses key issues such as microaggressions, racial socialization, systemic disparities, internalized racism, and culturally informed decision-making.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand the unconscious drivers of bias: Learn how implicit bias is formed through lived experience, cultural messages, and developmental influences.

• Recognize how bias shapes school dynamics: Discover how bias operates in everyday classroom decision-making and contributes to inequitable disciplinary and academic outcomes.

• Take first steps toward equity: Identify actionable practices that clinicians and educators can use to disrupt bias and promote more just environments for BIPOC students.

Why this course?

• A trusted expert in the field: Dr. Sutherland brings years of specialized experience, academic rigor, and a deep commitment to equity-based practice.

• Tailored for behavioral health professionals: This training was designed specifically with clinicians in mind—whether you work directly with schools or support youth navigating educational systems.

• Meaningful, applicable change: Unlike generic cultural trainings, this course equips you with real-world strategies to identify and interrupt the dynamics that perpetuate racial disparities.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain implicit bias and how it is developed.

• Describe how implicit bias influences educational decision-making.

• List initial steps needed for influencing more equitable outcomes for black and indigenous students of color.

If you're working with school-aged clients or collaborating with educators, this course provides the essential tools to better understand—and begin to dismantle—the impact of racial bias in educational spaces. Start your learning journey with Dr. Sutherland and bring intentional, equity-informed practice to your work.

Enroll now to begin learning instantly.

Format and Access

This non-interactive self-study course. Instruction consists of 1 hour 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 Dr. Sonja Sutherland, PhD, LPC, ACS, BC-TMH

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Sutherland is the founder and CEO of Legacy Changers Worldwide, an organization dedicated to providing family education and mental and emotional wellness resources. The Legacy Changers Worldwide umbrella has provided support through the Legacy Changers Counseling Center, The Family Healing Room, VASAYO, and previously as host of a local Atlanta talk-radio show focusing on family relationships and mental wellness. In addition, Dr. Sutherland provides intermediate and advanced continuing education workshops for licensed clinicians, and post-masters supervision for associate licensed clinicians through Legacy Professional Development & Training. Services and programs offered by Dr. Sutherland.

In the mental health field since 1998, and licensed since 2001, Dr. Sutherland has provided therapeutic services in the private practice, psychiatric residential, in-home, and outpatient mental health settings, for adolescents and adults, through individual, group, couples, and family therapy. She has specialized in working with adolescents, couples and families for the last 22 years. One of Dr. Sutherland’s historical research interests has been evidence-based treatment within residential settings for commercially sexually exploited youth, which was a primary focus of her dissertation and clinical expertise during her years as a clinician in the psychiatric residential setting. Her ongoing research interests include clinician-in-training cultural competence development and clinical supervision.  Within the last 5 years, Dr. Sutherland has provided training, researched, and published in the areas of racial trauma, cultural competence development and training, the provision of culturally-informed clinical intervention and supervision, and social justice advocacy. Dr. Sutherland's CV can be Dr. Sutherland's CV

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 continuing education hour 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 clinical continuing education credit.

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 60 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