Strategies for Working with “Unsupportive” Parents
Information
Date & Time
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Describe the Ambiguous Loss model as a therapeutic tool to support parents whose feelings of grief and loss impact their ability to support their transgender child and prepare to use it in practice.
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Identify and describe two or more communication techniques that encourage meaningful communication between parents and their transgender children.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of this workshop is to increase attendees’ knowledge on how to support parents who may be struggling to support their transgender child, how the Ambiguous Loss model can be used to respond to parents’ sense of grief and loss, and communication strategies to bridge the knowledge gap between children and parents.
Description
Parents, caregivers, and guardians are frequently labeled as “unsupportive.” While there are some circumstances where this assessment is accurate, more often than not, parental responses to their transgender children are based on a lack of information, fear for their child’s well-being, and their own feelings of grief and loss. This session will help bridge the knowledge gap between parents and their children, provide tools and interventions to assist parents in their own journey toward acceptance, offer Ambiguous Loss as a framework to assist parents with addressing their feelings of grief and loss and identify communication strategies to assist with the parent/child relationship.
Target Audience
- Counselor
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Social Worker
- Substance Use Disorder Professionals
Presenters
Dr. Aydin Olson-Kennedy (he/him) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than fifteen years of experience delivering mental health support to transgender and non-binary communities. His therapeutic approach and educational methods are guided by anti-oppressive critical theories focusing on intersectionality, power dynamics, and oppressive systems. Dr. Olson-Kennedy specializes in providing therapeutic support and psychoeducation to parents, caregivers, and guardians of trans and non-binary individuals across all age groups. Central to his practice is exploring the experiences and impact of gender dysphoria outside the diagnostic framework of the DSM-V.
Financially Sponsored By
- Trans Youth Care