Understanding Gender Issues in Clinical Practice: Two Workshops

Conference Details

8:30-9 am Registration

9 am- 12:15 Morning Workshop: The Death of the Gender Specialist: Core Clinical Competencies for Working with Transgender and Non-Binary Clients with Emiry Potter. This training will provide an accessible overview of best practices for working with transgender, gender nonconforming, and non-binary clients. Challenging the notion that informed & ethical care requires a gender specialist, the presenter will empower clinicians to increase their competency and expand the services available to this underserved population. The presenter will draw upon ethical considerations, psycho-education, and experiential exercises to incite engagement. Participation will include critical reflection and experimentation. Attendees should expect to be challenged, but also encouraged to make mistakes in the service of learning. This three hour training will be structured in two parts- the first will focus on a critical analysis of existing narratives surrounding gender. The presenter will also provide a brief theoretical framework in conjunction with an explanation of basic terminology. The second half will emphasize applied clinical applications. This will include core best practices, assessment, the WPATH Standards of Care, overview of transition related interventions and guidelines for writing supportive letters. Additionally, due to the complex and dynamic nature of the subject, emphasis will be placed on equipping clinicians with an understanding of existing resources necessary to engage in ongoing independent research. We will conclude with a brief question and answer period. 

12:15-1:30 pm Lunch Provided

1:30 - 4:45 pm Afternoon Workshop: Six Degrees of Gender Variance: Unknowing and Reknowing Gender through the Lens of Internal Family Systems with Diane Lambert, Grace Anne Stevens and Sherry Zitter. In this workshop, three IFS trained clinicians, a parent, a partner and a woman who transitioned at the age of 64, share their stories through an IFS lens, with the goal of helping participants gain a better appreciation of the complexity of the issues and the impact not only on the people who experience dysphoria directly, but on all the people with whom they come in contact. Gender variance is a challenging topic to discuss as there is no single way it is experienced. Gender is often defined by cultural norms that lead all of us to both conscious and unconscious expectations and biases. Through the discovery of one’s own “parts” using personal reflection and group sharing exercises, this workshop will bring these issues to a heightened awareness. By understanding one’s own parts, clinicians will be able to serve their clients in a more informed and “Self-led” manner. A knowledge of IFS Therapy is not required to participate in this workshop. An overview of the model will be given as a part of the presentation. To learn more about IFS Therapy go to the IFS website: www.selfleadership.org