Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) youth who experience rejection by their families are at increased risk for depression and suicide nationally. Reducing family rejection is central to suicide and poor mental health prevention for TGNB adolescents. The Transgender youth who were supported by parents to express their accurate gender identity showed similar mental health to non-transgender youth. Thus, it is critical to locate the barriers and potential resources for reducing family rejection for TGNB youth living in varied contexts, geographic, and social locations.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe a systemic conceptualization of transgender and nonbinary youth mental health.
- Participants will be able to describe the parent-child dynamics common with transgender and nonbinary youth.
- Participants will be able to assess for parent-child dynamics with transgender and nonbinary youth.
- Participants will be able to reflexively assess their own growth areas for practice with transgender and nonbinary youth and their families.
- Participants will be able to describe parental gender affirming humility as a primary area for growth and skill building.
- Participants will be able to describe and implement new skills for systemic intervention with transgender and nonbinary youth and their families.
Workshop Agenda
* Pacific Time
08:00 – 8:15 am – Introduction, overview, and setting group norms
08:15 – 09:15 am – Overview of gender galaxy and the new generation of young people; self-reflection exercise 1 ends the time
09:15 – 09:30 am – Break
09:30 – 10:00 am – Overview of literature on research and systemic/attachment theory with TGNB youth and their families
10:00 – 10:30 am – Introduction of gender-affirming cultural humility for parents and clinicians
10:30 – 11:00 am – Small group systemic conceptualization exercise of TGNB youth case example
11:00 – 11:30 am – Break for lunch
11:30 – 12:30 pm – Engaging youth and their parents in family therapy; structuring therapy
12:30 – 01:00 pm – Small group conceptualization exercise with case example
01:00 – 01:15 pm – Break
01:15 – 02:00 pm – Regulating emotions and addressing religion with parents/caregivers
02:00 – 3:00 pm – Creating bonding moments between TGNB youth and their caregivers; video example
Who is leading this workshop?
Katie Heiden-Rootes
Dr. Katie Heiden-Rootes is a professor in the department of Family and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine and has a dual appointment as an Assistant Vice President in the Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement at Saint Louis University. Her scholarship is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Missouri Foundation for Health, and the National Science Foundation. Her scholarship focuses on two areas. First, the advancement of clinical training and research on the health of the LGBTQIA+ community and their families. And second, intersectional faculty equity and culture change within higher education. Dr. Heiden-Rootes co-founded the Queer & Trans Wellness Clinic @ SLU in the Center for Counseling and Family Therapy, a community-facing and accessible resource for mental health services. In her academic home, she teaches courses and lectures on human sexuality and gender, cultural humility, and qualitative research methods. Her work today is marked by the celebration of difference, engaging in difficult dialogue, and becoming comfortable in discomfort.
Presenter has no conflicts of interest of commercial support to report.
The workshop is 6 hours long, including breaks and time for Q&A.
6 CE Credits Available
The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.