The 5 Evils of Society: The Traumatic Impact of Systemic Harm

Presented by Southwest’s Counselors for Social Justice Chapter

The concept of the 5 Evils of Society–white supremacy, capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, puritanism–theorizes that, at this stage in United States society, all trauma and harm can be traced back to one of, or intersections of, these evils. Societal and systemic harm have their roots in these five things. All people who exist within this society and function in these systems are harmed by these five things, regardless of their personal, intersectional identities and proximity to power.

Pebble McCleary, LCPC (they/them/theirs) is a queer mental health therapist with both lived and professional experience with queerness. They are licensed in the state of Maryland and are a clinician, presenter, and trainer with the CoTenacious Collective. They specialize in working with LGBTQ identities, kink/BDSM, nonmonogamy, and systemic trauma. Pebble is firmly anti-oppression, utilizing liberation-oriented, transformative justice-oriented, and relational-cultural approaches to decolonize clinical work and uplift marginalized voices. They graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Masters in Counseling in 2018. They graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology; additionally, they minored in LGBT Studies. They have taught and presented on LGBTQ topics and systemic trauma frameworks at the university, state, and national levels. Pebble prioritizes safety, transparency, and collaboration in their clinical, training, and consultation services, fostering an environment wherein it is okay to ask questions, “get it wrong,” and grow.

This event counts as 1.5 CEU.

All proceeds go towards supporting the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) at Seminary of the Southwest. CSJ at SSW is a national award winning organization. We are committed to promoting human flourishing as a spiritual and sacred right. We believe social transformation starts by healing our own bias, challenging our comfort zones, and connecting with the experiences of those who are different than we are. CSJ aspires to serve the people of Austin by providing a brave, inclusive community and expert resources for reflection, education and informed social justice action.