Social Justice Speaker Series Presents
We Are Not Our Worst Day: Finding Life After Hate
Presenter: Patrick R. Riccards, Ed.D., Chairman, Life After Hate
Date & Time: Â Thursday, July 16th, 2026 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM EDT
Location: Live Via Zoom (Zoom Link: Emailed with ticket)
Cost:
FREE to attend
FREE CE for CPA Members (Log in to your account to access the discount!)
$15.00 CE Processing Fee for Non-members
Continuing Education: Â Eligible for 1.0 CE
Webinar will be recorded (recording not eligible for CE)
Abstract:
With expressions of hate and ideological extremism growing and becoming more severe, it can be easy to say that those who perform acts of violent misogyny, racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, and other types of hate are beyond redemption. But after 15 years of work helping the most violent of ideological extremists disengage and lead healthy, productive lives, Life After Hate (LAH) has built and improved a process that seeks to change violent extremist beliefs, behaviors, and social networks to promote reintegration into society. This presentation will specifically look at: 1) what is violent extremism and what is driving individuals into pursuing lives in it; 2) what makes one susceptible to those recruiting for extremist groups; 3) what are the common experiences for those active in the movement; 4) what leads to one beginning to consider questioning their ideology or considering leaving the movement; 5) what support is necessary to help an individual successfully disengage from a life of violent extremism; 6) what role do family, friends, and loved ones play in the disengagement process; 7) what role do mental health professionals play in the disengagement process; and 8) based on 15 years of LAH data, what lessons can be learned about successful ideological disengagement and the supports needed to ensure one remains disengaged. Today, Life After Hate is the nation’s leading ideological intervention program, having helped more individuals exit violent extremist groups and online hate spaces while seeing a recidivism rate of near zero for those who have successfully completed the program. Working through Life After Hate’s Exit program, engaging regularly with Exit specialists who have shared lived experiences, and working with mental health professionals who have received specialized training in working with this population, it is possible to move violent ideological extremists into productive lives where they contribute to our civil society.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify at least two pathways into and two pathways out of violent ideological extremism.
- Describe at least three core components of Life After Hate’s Intervention Model.
- Summarize at least two documented impacts or outcomes of ideological intervention programs and explain their effectiveness in reducing violent extremism.
Research Citations
1. Riccards, P.R. (2023). A New Chapter: Compassion with Accountability. https://medium.com/@eduflack/a-new-chapter-compassion-with-accountability-19811139f2c5
2. Riccards, P.R. and Budge, S.W. (2022). Confronting the Mental Health Realities of Successful Exit from VFRE. Journal EXIT-Deutschland. November 2022.
3. G. Kena & A. Thompson, U.S. DEP’T OF JUSTICE, HATE CRIME VICTIMIZATION, BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS 2005-2019, (2021), at https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/ hcv0519_1.pdf
Presenter Biography
Dr. Patrick Riccards is currently the Chairman of the Board for Life After Hate, the nation’s leading ideological violence intervention organization. He previously served as the organization’s executive director and CEO, transforming its service programs, improving its processes and procedures, and expanding its work to provide assistance to mandated participants and youth. Today, Life After Hate is helping more individuals disengage from lives of violent extremism than it ever has in its 15-year history.
Pat is the founder and CEO of the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement, a national effort transforming the teaching and learning of American history and civics through provocative, relevant video content for students and related professional development for teachers. During his career, he has advised four presidential administrations and more than a half-dozen cabinet-level agencies on policy and public engagement. Pat has also held positions as a university vice president and as the chief communications and strategy officer at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
Currently on the Board of Directors for the Center for the Collaborative Classroom, Project Tomorrow, and the University of Virginia’s Bolivar Network, and the advisory board for the Education Writers Association, Pat was chairman of the school board in Falls Church City, Virginia. He is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council, writing regularly on nonprofit strategy and leadership.
An award-winning author, he writes and tweets under the handle Eduflack. Pat’s latest book, Strategic Strikes: Mastering Your Communications in the Cage Match of Public Opinion, was published by Advantage/Forbes Books and is an Amazon BEST SELLER. He is the author of the nationally recognized book, Dadprovement, that chronicles his experiences building a family through adoption. Pat is also the editor and contributing author of Why Kids Can’t Read: Continuing to Challenge the Status Quo in Education and author of the award-winning Dad in a Cheer Bow, which has recently been turned into a full-length feature film.
Pat regularly speaks on the intersections of policy, research, and engagement and is the author or ghost author of work that has appeared in hundreds of publications, including USA Today, Washington Post, New York Times, and Education Week.
Pat earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and completed the Non-Profit Leaders Executive Education Program at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He received his doctorate from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, focusing his award-winning academic research on the value of a learn-from-failure mindset
Post-Webinar Evaluation Form:
Post-webinar evaluation form will be provided during the event and must be completed to receive a Continuing Education (CE) certificate.
Closed Captions:Â Live audio captions are accessible for this event. If you need additional disability-related accommodations, please contact us by email us at info@connpsych.org or by phone (860) 404-0333. Requests should be made at least two weeks in advance of workshop date.
Refund Policy: Participants may direct questions to CPA by email at info@connpsych.org or by phone at (860) 404-0333. Registrants may cancel and receive a full refund up to two-weeks in advance of workshop date. Â An administrative fee of $30 will be charged for cancellation of registration within two weeks of the workshop date (Social Justice events will not be charged an administrative fee). Please note, no refunds will be granted within 24 hours of workshop date.
Continuing Education Approval:
The Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for the program and its content. CPA will issue certificates of completion. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those logging into the Zoom webinar more than 15 minutes late or logging off before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits (i.e., partial CE credit will not be issued).
CPA GRIEVANCE POLICY:
The Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA) is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists. The CPA will comply with all legal and ethical guidelines for non-discrimination in promotional activities, program content, and in the treatment of CE participants.  While the CPA strives to assure fair treatment for all participants and to anticipate problems before they occur, occasionally grievances may be filed. In cases where a participant files a written or oral grievance, the following actions are taken:
If the grievance concerns the content of the workshop, a CPA representative will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the CPA will either provide a credit for a subsequent CE offering or provide a partial or full refund of the CE fee already paid. Â Actions involving a credit or a refund will require a written note documenting the grievance for record-keeping purposes. The aggrieved individual need not sign the note. If the grievance specifically concerns the CPA, the CPA will attempt to arbitrate.
Direct correspondence to: The Connecticut Psychological Association, P.O. Box #1167, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 or by email to executivedirector@connpsych.org.
