Rhonda Payne, CAE

The founder and CEO of Flock Theory, a deliberately diverse professional speakers bureau and management consultancy, Rhonda is an influential thought leader, association impact strategist, and all-around hype woman for purpose-driven leaders in membership organizations.  Her work bridges the intersection of organizational development, workforce inclusion, and learning & development events. With a career that spans three decades and 15 countries, and roles as ASAE chief learning officer and ICSC global vice president, she has helped hundreds of associations create competitive advantage with and for the communities they serve.  Rhonda is an active volunteer with ASAE and PCMA, and serves as director on the boards of NYSAE, SocialOffset, and C4 Performing Arts. She’s on a mission to magnify and defend equity in expertise from stage to screen, bookshelf to boardroom, and classroom to congress.

Return to conference speakers page

You Belong Here: Bias-Aware Communication for Inclusive MFTs

Friday, May 1, 2026
10:00 am – 11:30 am
1.5 CEs

Description:

This course examines how language used in clinical and professional contexts shapes assessment, meaning-making, and relationships with both clients and professional peers. Grounded in a bias-aware, identity-responsive framework, participants will explore how meaning embedded in language influences interpretation and may obscure the impact of context, lived experience, and systemic dynamics. Through guided reflection and interactive dialogue, the session challenges MFTs to expand how they understand, discuss, and respond to client and colleague experiences. Participants will develop practical approaches to using language more intentionally in ways that create greater opportunities for belonging.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify how language can reflect and reinforce assumptions related to identity, culture, and power in interactions with clients and professional peers.
• Apply at least one bias-aware communication strategies that incorporate context, lived experience, and cultural meaning into clinical interpretation and professional interactions.
• Demonstrate at least one approach to interrupting limiting or exclusionary narratives in clinical or professional settings to support more responsive and affirming care and collaboration.
• Implement at least one strategies to hold themselves and others accountable for biases in communication that contribute to exclusionary actions and undermine belonging across client and professional relationships.