PROVIDING QUALITY CARE FOR THE GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
(Formerly Valuing Our Families)

6th Annual CEU Conference for Mental Health Professionals
Friday, November 6, 2009
8:15 a.m. — 3:30 p.m.
SunServe on the Campus of the Sunshine Cathedral MCC
1480 SW 9th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

This conference will help mental health professionals sharpen their skills in serving their GLBT clients. The sessions are both didactic and experiential. Participants will gain practical insights and leave with tools and resources to enhance their service to this community. This Conference is made possible, in part, through the financial support of The Pride Institute at Fort Lauderdale Hospital

SCHEDULE (Note: You will be able to choose one workshop presented in each time slot)

COSTS:

TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE:

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

A. Building a Working Alliance with Gay and Lesbian Clients—A Primer.
Presenter: James Lopresti, Ph.D., LMHC

Especially valuable for clinicians new to this population, this interactive workshop equips the clinician with a practical understanding of the path of identity development for gays and lesbians. Participants will focus on the challenges and opportunities to building a working alliance with gay and lesbian clients. The working alliance is the key factor for success in the counseling room, whatever may be the presenting issues of gay and lesbian clients.

• Identify the key challenges of building a gay identity and their impact on therapy.
• Identify and contrast the values that a non-gay/lesbian identified therapist brings to treatment along with those that a gay/lesbian identified therapist brings.
• Understand how to determine whether a presenting issue is central, or marginally related or not at all related to the client’s sexual orientation.
• Identify the impact of bias on treatment and understand approaches to correction.

B. When Sex and Drugs Are Harmful to Gay Men (I): Gay Culture, the Brain and Escapism
Presenter: David Fawcett, Ph.D., LCSW

The increased incidence of recreational drugs both in the “club scene” and in “online hookup” encounters is problem enough. When coupled with the compulsive and high risk sexual behaviors that almost invariably accompany such drug use, the outcome can be deadly. In this session, you will get a comprehensive view of the biological, cultural and escapist connections that contribute to this deadly combination.

• Gain an understanding of the intersection of sex and drugs in gay culture.
• Understand the impact of brain chemistry on both risk and recovery.
• Become familiar with psychosocial factors that increase vulnerability for gay men.

C. Gay and Lesbian Couples Therapy: Key Elements
Presenters: Mark Rutherford, L.C.S.W., Deborah Grayson, L.M.H.C., Ray Garassino, LCSW

• This workshop will be especially valuable for clinicians who are new to the experience of counseling gay and lesbian couples. Presenter will draw on key principles for couples therapy and note the unique factors in the gay and lesbian experience with a special attention to sex and intimacy.
• Understand key Imago Relationship Therapy principles and how they can be applied to work with gay and lesbian couples
• Understand how childhood wounding/unmet needs and family of origin behaviors impact intimacy and communication for gay and lesbian couples.
• Understand how homophobia and heterosexism specifically stress same sex relationships.
• Understand how to turn core communication and intimacy problems into strategies for healing for gay and lesbian couples.

D. Teens Coming Out: A Primer on Gay, Lesbian And Questioning Youth
Presenters: Kris Drumm, MSW, Mitchell Rosenwald, Ph.D., LCSW

This highly interactive training will provide an opportunity for participants to hear first hand from gay and lesbian youth about their experiences of coming to terms with their sexuality with family, friends, in schools and social settings.

• Understand the key psycho-social issues affecting the development of personal identity for youth who are questioning their sexual orientation.
• Understand the key elements in the process of development of a gay/lesbian identity.
• Identify clinical strategies for assisting youth and families in coming to terms with questions about sexual orientation

E. When Sex and Drugs Are Harmful to Gay Men (II): Integrated Treatment as Best Practice
Presenter: David Fawcett, Ph.D., LCSW

Integrative, holistic treatment approaches to complex addictive and mental health disorders are proven best practice models. Application of such models to treatment of gay men requires additional understanding of their unique socio-cultural background, often on the social margins. In this session you will put together the essential pieces for integrated treatment of gay men presenting with compulsive sexuality and chemical addiction

• Become familiar with basic elements of cultural competency and approaches regarding sexuality when working with gay men.
• Understand integrated best practices regarding compulsive substance use and compulsive sexual behavior.
• Be familiar with essential skills necessary for sustained recovery for gay men.

F. Beyond the Basics: Relationship Issues for Gay Men
Presenters: Mark Rutherford, L.C.S.W., Deborah Grayson, L.M.H.C., Ray Garassino, LCSWInitiating, developing and maintaining intimate relationships present unique challenges for your Gay male clients. Heterosexual models for dating, making commitments and maintaining relationships are often inadequate or insufficient for gay men. In this interactive seminar you will receive practical assistance from therapists who have special expertise in working with gay singles and couples. In addition, seminar participants will have the opportunity to share their insights and experiences in an interactive learning setting.

• Identify key similarities and differences in heterosexual and gay male relationship patterns.
• Understand the differing perspectives among experienced therapists on how to address monogamy issues in same sex relationships.
• Understand the impact of non validating familial and social environments on the development of self esteem necessary to form and maintain quality intimate relationships

G. Facing the Developmental Challenges of Aging as Gay or Lesbian
Presenters: M. Ross Seligson, Ph.D. and Helen Ferreri, RN

The training will attend to the unique challenges that gay and lesbian seniors face both within a community in which they might be invisible and within a culture from which historically many seniors have hidden themselves.

• Understand the unique developmental issues of gay and lesbian persons in later life stages.
• Understand the impact of generational differences between helpers and clients.
• Understand how to build a working alliance with gay and lesbian seniors as clients.
• Identify the community resources to assist gay and lesbian seniors in meeting their age related developmental needs.

H. Beyond the Basics: Relationship Issues for Lesbians
Presenters: Mark Rutherford, L.C.S.W., Deborah Grayson, L.M.H.C., Ray Garassino, LCSW
Initiating, developing and maintaining intimate relationships present unique challenges for your lesbian clients. Heterosexual models for dateing, making commitments and maintaining relationships are often inadequate or insufficient for lesbian. In this interactive seminar you will receive practical assistance from therapists who have special expertise in working with lesbian singles and couples. In addition, seminar participants will have the opportunity to share their insights and experiences in an interactive learning setting.

• Identify key similarities and differences in heterosexual and lesbian relationship patterns.
• Understand the differing perspectives among experienced therapists on how to address fluid boundary issues in same sex relationships.
• Understand the impact of non validating familial and social environments on the development of self esteem necessary to form and maintain quality intimate relationships

I. A Primer for Therapy for Transgender Youth
Presenter: James Lopresti, Ph.D., LMHC

Participants will gain greater knowledge of the needs of this especial population and will become aware of the challenges faced by counselors and other professionals in helping clients progress through the stages of transgender identity development. In a world of fast changing values, gender paradigms are no exception. The presenter will describe how the young generation of gender variant persons is experiencing and coping with “gender dysphoria.” Session will include a discussion panel of members of SunServe’s Transgender Young Adults Support Group

• Understand gender variance in a spectrum and have knowledge of the different terms used to describe gender variant individuals
• Identify stages of transgender identity
• Identify the key challenges in working with gender variant individuals, particularly gender variant youth.

- - - - - - ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS - - - - - - -

Each presenter in this conference is a clinician with extensive experience in addressing the needs of the Lesbian, Gay Bi-Sexual and Transgender community.

Kris Drumm, MSW, Co-founder of Wolfbear Institute and Coordinator of the Youth Services Program at SunServe, has developed “One Heart,” SunServe’s LGBTQ youth socio-drama ensemble

David Fawcett, PhD, LCSW., Co-chair of the South Florida Crystal Meth Task Force and coordinator of SunServe’s Meth and Men Project, did his doctoral research on the impact of crystal meth on gay men.

Helen Ferreri, RN, Director of SunServe’s McArtor Center, a day care center that focuses on serving the needs of frail elders, especially those who are gay or lesbian

Raymond Garassino, LCSW, member of the SunServe Therapists Collective and clinician in private practice is certified in Image Relationship Therapy. He is a former staff therapist at Pride Institute

Deborah Grayson, LMHC, member of the SunServe Therapists Collective and clinician in private practice, is a certified sex therapist and registered poetry therapist.

James Lopresti, Ph.D., LMHC, SunServe’s Clinical Director , has been a frequent presenter on gay and lesbian issues for professionals, including the Family Therapy Networker Conference. He has taught at various graduate level programs including Loyola University of Chicago and the Johns Hopkins University.

Mitchell Rosenwald, Ph.D., LCSW, Member of SunServe’s Clinical Advisory Board and faculty member at Barry University School of Social Work, is the author of “A glimpse within: An exploratory study of child welfare agencies’ practices with LGBTQ youth” in The Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services

Mark Rutherford, LCSW. , certified in Imago Relationship Therapy, is a member of SunServe’s Therapist Collective. He is in private practice in West Palm Beach and is a frequent contributor to various gay and lesbian publications.

M. Ross Seligson, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Fort Lauderdale, has specialized in medical psychotherapy issues. He is Past President of the Broward County Psychological Association, Coordinator of Mental Health Services for North Broward Hospital District Urgent Care Center and faculty member at Nova Southeastern University.