Experiential Political Resilience: ProSocial Work in Practice

Course Description – 1.5 Clinical Continuing Education Credit Hours

Format: Asynchronous (Recorded) Distance Format

Matthew Watson and Zander Keig engage with Jacob Winkler, a group therapist, to explore the concept of political resilience and the role of process groups in fostering honest, prosocial communication. The conversation delves into the importance of emotional engagement, navigating difficult conversations, and the theoretical foundations of group therapy. Jacob shares insights on how to handle conflict, the significance of humanizing differences, and the challenges of uncertainty in discussions. The episode emphasizes the need for social workers to develop political resilience and the ethical considerations in promoting dialogue across diverse viewpoints. This conversation delves into the complexities of group therapy, exploring themes of self-awareness, the integration of light and darkness within individuals, and the dynamics of attraction and boundaries in group settings. The speakers discuss the importance of navigating chaos, fostering political and viewpoint diversity, and the ethical considerations of expression in therapeutic environments. They reflect on personal experiences and the transformative power of group therapy in promoting emotional growth and resilience.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Pro Social Workers and Political Resilience
02:51 Jacob Winkler’s Background and Process Groups
05:47 The Importance of Emotional Engagement in Groups
08:45 Navigating Political Conversations in Group Settings
11:31 Defining Success in Political Resilience
14:26 Theoretical Foundations of Group Therapy
17:23 Handling Conflict and Emotional Responses
20:14 Humanizing Political Differences
23:20 Promoting Viewpoint Diversity in Social Work
37:12 Navigating Conflict in Professional Settings
40:22 The Nature of Group Dynamics
43:02 Understanding Who is Drawn to Process Groups
45:39 The Role of Leadership in Group Settings
48:26 Exploring the Balance of Light and Dark
51:29 The Importance of Acknowledging Our Shadows
54:39 Self-Awareness and Its Impact on Relationships
58:00 The Complexity of Truth and Honesty
01:01:14 The Challenge of Chaos in Group Settings
01:05:50 The Lifelong Journey of Personal Growth
01:07:43 The Interplay Between Group Work and Personal Relationships
01:11:30 Exploring Group Dynamics in Couples Therapy
01:14:36 Navigating Flirtation and Rejection
01:17:19 The Boundaries of Expression in Group Dynamics
01:19:20 Embracing the Child Within: Disinhibition in Groups
01:21:07 Political Views and Emotional Reactions in Group Settings
01:23:49 The Role of Group Leaders in Fostering Authenticity
01:27:16 Creating Safe Spaces for Social Workers
01:29:18 Expanding Emotional Range for Pluralism
01:31:07 Braver Angels and the Power of Dialogue
01:34:49 Theoretical Orientations in Group Therapy
01:37:23 Finding Local Group Therapy Resources
01:39:34 The Messiness of Social Work and Authentic Dialogue

Course Info:

ProSocial Workers is a subsidiary of the Institute for Liberal Values, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization promoting pluralistic, free, and democratic societies. The Institute for Liberal Values is ProSocial Workers’ fiscal sponsor.

This course was recorded on October 6, 2025.

It is intended for a beginning to intermediate social worker audience. Other helping professionals may also find the content relevant to their practice.

Music Credits:

All Night by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Course: Experiential Political Resilience: ProSocial Work in Practice

Credit: 1.5 Clinical Continuing Education Credits

Format: Asynchronous (Recorded) Distance

How to Access: Click on the video or podcast link in the course materials section below. The video must be played through in entirety on this website in order to substantiate that the course was completed and to earn credit. Playing through on other websites or media will not substantiate course completion.

Post-test Requirements and Retakes: Participants must respond correctly to 80% of post-test questions. Post-test retakes are unlimited. Course participants may retake the test as many times as needed to pass the course.

Course Objectives:

• Present the core principles and structure of process-oriented group therapy, with emphasis on emotional honesty, relational dynamics, and the therapeutic value of exploring subjective experience in real time.
• Introduce the concept of political resilience within clinical and professional settings, highlighting how group work can foster courage, emotional endurance, and openness to influence in politically charged or ideologically diverse environments.
• Explore the role of affect phobia and emotional avoidance in group dynamics, illustrating how process groups create space for confronting discomfort, recognizing habitual relational patterns, and integrating both light and shadow aspects of the self.

Course Presenters:

• Jacob Winkler, LCSW, CGP is one of the most comprehensive providers of group therapy related continuing education in the state of New Jersey. He leads the Masters of Group Therapy Club, a training program and incubator for group therapists, the rave-reviewed 6 CE Deeper in the Here-and-Now workshop, as well as several interpersonal process groups in his private practice. He is a member of the Open Therapy Institute, Critical Therapy Antidote, and Braver Angels. For more information: www.grouptherapynj.com/clinicians.
• Matthew Watson is the executive director of ProSocial Workers, an affiliate of the Institute for Liberal Values, dedicated to promoting viewpoint and political diversity in social work practice and education. He is a seasoned mental health advisor and licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience. He provides competent, compassionate care and strategic leadership where he has excelled in direct service provider, management, and executive roles. Matthew has a documented history of building high-performing teams, improving outcomes, identifying individual strengths, and mentoring others. Matthew’s philosophy is that sustainable results emerge from the development of people, believing that strong, talented individuals are the ultimate outcome of effective leadership. His interests reflect a deep commitment to civic and ethical engagement, including voluntary service organizations, viewpoint diversity, religious liberty, and the integration of differing perspectives.
• Zander Keig is an award-winning social worker, best-selling author, social care educator, and motivational speaker with many distinguishing accolades, including 2023 Caregiving.com LGBTQ Advocate of the Year, 2020 NASW National Social Worker of the Year,  2020 WPATH Harry Benjamin Distinguished Educator of the Year, and 2018 NASW CA Social Worker of the Year. Zander has earned a BA in Interpersonal Communication (1999), an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution (2003), an MTS in Theological Systems (2004), and an MSW in Clinical Social Work (2012). He has delivered conflict mitigation, social care, diversity and inclusion, and emotional well-being workshops for over 30 years. Zander hosts the Umbrella Hour podcast on the UK Health Radio Network. His best-selling book is The Third Space: A Nonconformist’s Guide to the Universe (Thought Leader Press, 2024), available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Course Materials:

Watch the Podcast/Video for free on YouTube, or for use the link below for continuing education credit.

Course References/Bibliography:

1. Bandura, A. (2006). Toward a psychology of human agency. Perspectives on psychological science, 1(2), 164-180.
2. Berman, A. (2018). Therapeutic semi-safe space in group analysis. Group Analysis, 52(2), 190-203.
3. Hartman, R., Blakey, W., Womick, J., Bail, C., Finkel, E. J., Han, H., … & Gray, K. (2022). Interventions to reduce partisan animosity. Nature human behaviour, 6(9), 1194-1205.
4. Lees, J., & Cikara, M. (2021). Understanding and combating misperceived polarization. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 376(1822), 20200143.
5. Moses, I. (2023). Wrestling with Reductionism in Racial and Cultural Analytic Discourse. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 59(3-4), 329-341.
6. Ormont, L. R. (1999). Progressive emotional communication: Criteria for a well-functioning group. Group Analysis, 32(1), 139-150.
7. Ormont, L. R. (1996). Bringing life into the group experience: The power of immediacy. Group, 20(3), 207-221.
8. Ormont, L. R. (1993). Resolving resistances to immediacy in the group setting. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 43(4), 399-418.
9. Ormont, L. (1990). The craft of bridging. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 40(1), 3-17.
10. Ormont, L. (1984). The leader’s role in dealing with aggression in groups. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 34(4); 553–572.
11. Redding, R. E., & Cobb, C. (2023). Sociopolitical values as the deep culture in culturally-competent psychotherapy. Clinical Psychological Science, 11(4), 666-682.
12. Rollwage, M., & Fleming, S. M. (2021). Confirmation bias is adaptive when coupled with efficient metacognition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 376(1822), 20200131.
13. Sharp, D. N. (2024). A Larger ‘We’; Identity, Spirituality and Social Change in Pluralistic Societies. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 16(1), 462-476.
14. Solomonov, N., & Barber, J. P. (2019). Conducting psychotherapy in the Trump era: Therapists’ perspectives on political self-disclosure, the therapeutic alliance, and politics in the therapy room. Journal of clinical psychology, 75(9), 1508–1518. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22801
15. Syropoulos, S., & Leidner, B. (2025). Emphasizing Similarities Between Politically Opposed Groups and Their Influence in Perceptions of the Political Opposition: Evidence From Five Experiments. Personality & social psychology bulletin, 51(4), 530–553. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231192384
16. van Baar, J. M., Halpern, D. J., & FeldmanHall, O. (2021). Intolerance of uncertainty modulates brain-to-brain synchrony during politically polarized perception. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(20), e2022491118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2022491118
17. Van Doorn, E. A., Heerdink, M. W., & Van Kleef, G. A. (2012). Emotion and the construal of social situations: inferences of cooperation versus competition from expressions of anger, happiness, and disappointment. Cognition & emotion, 26(3), 442–461. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2011.648174
18. Von Mohr, M., & Tsakiris, M. (2025). Feeling the Body Politic: Interoception as a Mechanism of Political Resilience. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/nbmep_v4

Course Completion Requirements (only required for those seeking continuing education credit):

1. Click on “Enroll” (above) to start the course and, if applicable, pay for the course.
2. Create a ProSocial Workers account or log in.
3. Watch the entire required podcast or video using the links below. You must watch or listen for the amount of time being credited for the course.
4. Complete a course evaluation.
5. Complete a post-test or quiz and pass with at least 80% correct responses. Retesting is allowed.
6. Download your certificate (immediately available) upon completion of the post-test/quiz.

Additional Information

1. The course is administered online. Participants will need a computer or mobile device with a stable internet connection, a modern web browser (like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari), and the ability to access to ProSocialWorkers.com website.
2. Once the course has been purchased, you will have access to course content required for continuing education credit.
3. There are no refunds once the course is purchased. The course cannot be cancelled.
4. If special accommodations are needed, please email help@prosocialworkers.com.
5. ProSocial Workers, provider #2002, 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: May 6, 2025 – May 6, 2026. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 general continuing education credits.
6. Participants assume full responsibility to ensure local jurisdictional approvals.
7. Contact help@prosocialworkers.com with any questions, concerns, or to address any of the presenters.