Transgender and Gender Expansive individuals possess the unique experience of finding oneself against all odds. With the widening of awareness and interest in serving Transgender and Gender Expansive individuals, there is a need to develop a greater awareness and sensitivity, of the unique challenges that these populations face as well as the ethics of engaging in related advocacy. Our code of ethics insists that we prioritize equity in care, aspire toward cultural humility, and transcend stigma through the recognition of the inherent worth and dignity of people. Additionally, there is a need to recognize the resilience and nuance that exists within and across Transgender and Gender Expansive populations – especially in light of the onslaught of anti-trans legislation aimed at the erasure of trans identities as well as related access to life-saving care. In this presentation, attendees will be provided with thoughtful and authentic insights about the challenges of being, serving, and advocating on behalf of trans and gender expansive communities.

Lee Westgate, MBA, MSW, LCSW-C

This presentation will identify health related knowledge and critical issues of older LGBT communities to understand the importance of addressing future social workers and health care providers to enhance quality care for older LGBT adults. We will also summarize the interprofessional approach with an innovative explicit curriculum design with social work and nursing students.

Noell Rowan, Ph.D., LCSW, LCAS, CCS

Stephanie Duea, Ph.D. R.N.

Tamatha Arms, Ph.D., DNP, PMHNP-BC

When a codependent individual enters therapy, they may not yet realize their role in the dysfunction. From self-awareness to self-love, recovering from codependency is a healing journey that often requires professional support. As clinicians, we have a unique opportunity to teach and encourage our clients to practice boundaries, internal-validation, reciprocity in relationships, and self-respect. To properly support the codependent client, we must first understand the essence of codependency. Please join me for this educational presentation that encompasses personal and professional expertise as a licensed counselor experienced with codependency.

Hayley Kaplan, LCSW

As providers, social workers can reach various groups of people, including Latino families. This presentation will help social workers understand gender roles from a Latino cultural perspective. We will examine how these roles create a male dominated culture, which sometimes turns into what we recognize as domestic violence. We will also examine the struggle of Latino children and youth raised in the United States but are still affected by the cultural cycle of domestic violence.

Oleymis Saco, LCSW

Odelaisys Saco, LCMHC

We will explore the concepts of Spiritual Violence and Religious Abuse; specifically their impact on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people. We will explore the role of history, society, and culture in constructing religious and spiritual beliefs, and vice versa. These sets of social phenomena reinforce each other, positioning them both as normal or natural and preventing us as social science professionals from recognizing their violent impact. Our workshop facilitators are LGBTQIA+ helping professionals and survivors of Spiritual Violence who believe that a better understanding of this overlooked phenomena is critical to a social worker’s ethical and competent practice.

CasSandra Calin, LCSW

Karina Vargas, M.A.

Reverend Alba Onofrio, M. Div

The purpose of this presentation is to inform social workers of the influence of self-compassion training on burnout among behavioral health clinicians. The presentation will go over the present data on burnout and self-compassion, the tenets of self-compassion, how self-compassion works on burnout, and discuss results from doctoral research.

Sean Steele, LCSWA

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the majority of Americans’ mental health, while also creating new barriers for people to access mental healthcare. To reduce these barriers, organizations have added telehealth to their service lines. However, many clinicians who are now treating clients via telehealth are concerned with properly responding to crisis situations. This session will teach clinicians to recognize warning signs of an impending crisis and identify effective means of addressing a crisis via telehealth, along with creating an individualized crisis plan for new clients. This session will also review behavioral health crisis resources and when to access them.

Mona Townes, LCSW, LCAS, CCS, MAC

Tatenda Perry, MSW, LCSW

This interactive session is designed for therapists who are serving LGBTQ+ students and their families. John Concelman and Principal Carol Rodd, LCSW bring a unique perspective and wealth of experiences in helping students navigate the complexities of school. Walk away with resources, tools and information to best equip you as a therapist in best supporting your client in the local school setting. Participants will leave with resources at the local, state and national level.

Carolyn Rodd, LCSW, M.Ed

John Concelman

The presentation will examine the application of critical race theory (CRT) to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) using a case study approach. The presentation will explore how the application of CRT can influence therapeutic relationships, assessments, evaluations, clinical conceptualizations, interventions, and treatment planning. The tenets of CRT will be presented to demonstrate their suitability in clinical practice. Racial injury will be explicated and tools for assessing racism-related challenges will be reviewed. Culturally responsive adaptions to CBT will be discussed with attention to various therapy dyads. Research and practice gaps will be examined and adaptations for other therapy interventions will be introduced.

Constance Perkins, DSW, LCSW, LISW-CP

This presentation will provide an introduction of how to talk about sex with psychotherapy clients. The presentation will address the importance of discussing sex in therapy, recognize the cultural context that impacts views of sex, define sex positivity approaches, and review sexual impacts on mental health--all while incorporating a multicultural lens with considerations of people of color and LGBTQIA+ identities. Particular focus will be given to considering the importance of different identities and intersectionality in sexuality. The training will conclude with practical steps to help clinicians more effectively communicate with their clients about sex.

Aliya Saulson, MSW, LCSW