Collective Healing: A Framework for Building Transformative Collaborations in Public Health

Abstract

The capacity of cross-sector collaboration to create meaningful change across social–ecological levels has long been understood in public health. But the ability of cross-sector collaboration to achieve systemic change around the structural determinants of health remains complicated. In 2021, now more than ever, we understand the imperative of strengthening the capacity of collaborative efforts to address the myriad structural health crises facing our communities, from police violence and mass incarceration to Jim Crow laws and redlining, to urban renewal and environmental injustice. Our proposed collective healing framework brings together the collective impact model and radical healing framework to offer a blueprint for cross-sector collaboration that understands the practices of healing to be at the center of public health collaborations and public health practice at large. In this framework, public health practitioners and our collaborators are asked to prioritize relationship building, engage in critical self-reflection, to move beyond compromise, to address differences, to interrogate traditional metrics and approaches, to remake the collective table, and to build shared understanding through action.

The Role of Anti-Racist Community-Partnered Praxis in Implementing Restorative Circles Within Marginalized Communities in Southern California During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Institutional partners openly shared the institutional restrictions they faced and community partners shared the impact of such restrictions on their ability to execute the circles. This transparency built trust between partners, allowing for a restorative collaboration ( Cowan et al, 2022 ). However, the trustworthiness of specific individuals from an institution may not have translated to the institution’s trustworthiness.…”

“…Similar, to talking circles, umoja circles, emancipation circles, and sister circles, ( Community Healing Network, 2021 ; Makhay, 2021 ; Plevin, 2019 ; Safe Black Space, 2021 ; Sister Circle, 2021 ), restorative circles provide space for individuals to repair harm through a facilitated dialogue ( Ortega et al, 2016 ). Table 1 provides a list of these structurally and culturally responsive circles that are traditionally used in marginalized communities as safe spaces for the discussion of trauma and healing and the cultivation of resilience ( Cowan et al, 2022 ). Like other structurally and culturally responsive circles, restorative circles center on collective healing through prompts that encourage participants to share common experiences.…”

Exploring Extension Agent Capacity and Readiness to Adopt Policy, Systems and Environmental Change Approaches

“…Personal and individual biases, coupled with organizational and institutional racism and power differentials, require significant investment in organizational and individual capacity building for Extension staff at all levels if PSE change work is to address health equity and not cause further harms. As capacity or readiness improves, frameworks, such as R4P, Bounded Justice, or Collective Healing, can guide community-led PSE change processes toward health equity ( 45 , 48 , 49 ).…”

“Am I halo-halo?” Finding the Filipino-American Restorying Framework Through Consent

“…One must understand some Filipino culture in order to further develop and understand their own sense of identity as someone who is "halo-halo." frameworks and community healing in a practice that is ongoing and consistently engaged with (Cowan, Dill, & Sutton 2022). In practice, collaborators can hold or attend community listening sessions, build community voice, and gain an interpersonal understanding of needs while working towards a common agenda within their community.…”