LGBTQ+ Quality Care Conference
N e w C h a l l e n g e s / N e w A p p r o a c h e s t o C a re
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2022
In partnership with faculty from the Schools of Social Work and Education
At the Main Campus
Miami Shores, FL
AGENDA
8:45 AM Registration opens [coffee, tea, breakfast pastries served]
9:15 AM Welcome Session
9:30 – 11:00 Panel Session
11:00- 11:15 Break
11:15- 12:45 Breakout Sessions I
12:45- 1:45 Networking Lunch [lunch provided]
1:45 – 3:15 Breakout Sessions II
OPENING PANEL SESSION: EMERGING ISSUES FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
PURPOSE OF THE PANEL. There is no doubt that the past two years of Covid have profoundly changed the emotional and relational well-being of the American public. And the intense political warfare since the election of 2020 has added even more stress to daily life. As usual, such upheavals most forcefully impacts those with the least internal and external resources to address those difficulties and challenges. The LGBTQ+ community is clearly a significant part of that more vulnerable and often targeted group. Our panel will help guide a discussion among participants about how those medical and political events have shifted the landscape for helping professionals. And we will share information and insights about the impact of all these stressors on our work as clinical professionals. Panel-led discussions will focus on helping participants generate/pose the right questions and prepare us to explore new approaches to care for our time.
Topics include
- New External Pressures- Life in the Crosshairs.
- Changes in Florida law: The impact on children/youth, their families and their schools.
- Emerging/Evolving Medical Issues: When Healthcare Becomes a Problem.
- Florida Surgeon General’s challenge to trans care for children/youth and families – now what?
- Intersectionality- the Challenges of Cultural Humility – the Context for the Conversation on Emerging Issues.
- The two-fold challenge of being LGBTQ and a person of color/new immigrant or member of another marginalized group.
Panelists: Moderator:
Ashley Austin. PhD James Lopresti, PhD, LMHC
Adriana Castro-Convers, PhD
Geanny Ruiz, MEd
Adam Schwartz, JD
FOLLOW UP SESSIONS: CREATIVE APPROACHES TO LGBTQ CARE IN OUR TIME
- Introduction to “Affirm,” an Evidence-Based Approach to LGBTQ Care
Presenter: Ryan Papciak, LCSW
- Helping People Tell Their Stories: Methods for Building Effective Support Groups for Communities Under Challenge
Presenters: Todd Tedrow, DSW,, LCSW with Rian Merrick, MSC, RMHI
- The Far-Reaching Implications of New Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities for Therapy
Presenter: Markyse Bernadin, LCSW
- Attachment Based Interventions for Families of LGBTQ+ Children and Youth
Presenters: James Lopresti, LMHC, PhD, with staff from SunServe, Compass GLCC, Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, and parents of LGBTQ youth
- When Claiming One’s Identity Hurts: Trauma informed Therapies That Counter the Life-long Impacts of Shame
Presenter: Jill Levenson, PhD, LCSW
- Models of Consultation and Support for Therapists in a Changing Delivery System
Presenter: Andre Caruso, PsyD
See Session Description and Presenters’ Bios Below
COSTS
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: By NOV 10
___ $80 Full fee
___ $50 Non-Profit Organization Staff or Volunteer
___ $40 SunServe Collective Member
___ $40 Barry University Faculty or Field Advisor
___ $20 Graduate Student in SW, MHC, MFT or Psychology
REGULAR REGISTRATION: After NOV 10
___ $90 Full fee
___ $60 Non-Profit Organization Staff or Volunteer
___ $50 SunServe Collective Member
___ $50 Barry University Faculty or Field Advisor
___ $25 Graduate Student in SW, MHC, MFT or Psychology
BREAK OUT SESSION DESCRIPTIONS___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Note: The following descriptions are subject to refinements before the conference date]
Introduction to “Affirm,” an Evidence-Based Approach to LGBTQ Care
Presenter: Ryan Papciak, LCSW
The AFFIRM practice models were developed in collaboration with LGBTQ+ youth and adult community partners utilizing an “adapt and evaluate” framework aimed at ensuring the AFFIRM interventions are rooted in the needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ clients. There are two AFFIRM interventions, one for LGBTQ+ youth and one for caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth. AFFIRM Youth is an evidence-based, eight module, manualized coping skills training intervention focused on reducing mental health issues and behavioral risks experienced by LGBTQ+ populations. AFFIRM Caregiver is an evidence-informed, seven session, manualized intervention to enhance affirmative parenting practices that promote the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. AFFIRM Caregiver is designed to work with any caregiver of LGBTQ+ children and youth. This includes biological and adoptive parents, kinship/family members of origin, chosen family, foster/resource parents, and all other people who parent and support LGBTQ+ young people.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will understand the intent and purpose of using the AFFIRM models in counseling youth and caregivers
- Participants will understand the value and usefulness of being trained to apply these models to their clinical care setting
Helping People Tell Their Stories: Methods for Building Effective Support Groups for Communities Under Challenge
Presenters: Todd Tedrow, DSW,, LCSW with Rian Merrick, MSC, RMHI
Narrative therapy seeks to have an empowering effect and offer counseling that is non-blaming and non-pathological in nature. Narrative therapy is a style of therapy that helps people become—and embrace being—an expert in their own lives. In narrative therapy, there is an emphasis on the stories that someone develops and carries with them through life. The use of principles of narrative therapy in group settings is especially powerful for members of the LGBTQ+ community, given the social and familial crosswinds that influence and often challenge the development of secure identity and can hinder the development of effective interpersonal skill sets. This approach to group work helps empower LGBTQ+ persons achieve full participation in community across the life span. The session will include sample transformative experiences of storytelling in various LGBTQ+ age group settings.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will understand the intent and purpose of the use of narrative therapy principle in group settings
- Participants will understand potential impact of a narrative approach as sampled in two settings across the lifespan
The Far-Reaching Implications of New Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities for Therapy .
Presenter: Markyse Bernadin, LCSW
Information and communication technology (ICT), such as the internet and social media, have merged into society as an indispensable means of communication and networking with others. Increasingly, ICT is being used as a tool by clients for sharing and learning about health issues and life stressors.
Learning Objectives: This break-out session will leave you with a clearer understanding of:
- Your role as a clinician in the online network of your clients.
- The disadvantages and rewards of ICT for the therapeutic relationship
- The benefits of using social media as an adjunct to your practice.
Attachment Based Interventions for Families of LGBTQ+ Children and Youth
Presenters: James Lopresti, LMHC, PhD, with staff from SunServe, Compass GLCC, Alliance for LGBTQ Youth and parents of LGBTQ youth
Attachment is the comprehensive term for the set of relationship between parents and offspring encompassing styles of communication, levels of trust, and qualities of bonding. These are the primary experiences influencing emotional security and personal identity development. Interventions with families meant to repair faulty attachments are frequently rooted in the assumption of parental instinct to protect their children and the concomitant instinct of offspring to seek safety and identity mirroring in their parents. Yet, those very instincts are vulnerable to distortion in a host of dysfunctional ways, especially when a child does not conform to social norms that are enshrined in parental assumptions. Even with the best of intentions, parents often struggle with relating to, and guiding, their children outside those cultural norms. This session will focus on methods used in three South Florida LGBTQ+ focused agencies that have proved helpful in restoring attachment bonds and equipping parents to channel their instincts in a manner that fosters self-esteem and a security identity for their children. The session will include the perspectives of agency personnel assisting the families as well as parents themselves.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify the kinds of approaches to family that lead to enhancement of the bond between parents, or guardians, and their children over a range age groups
- Participants will be able to identify key resources to support healthy family interactions that help foster positive identity development for children and youth who are gender diverse and/or exploring sexual orientation questions
When Claiming One’s Identity Hurts: Trauma informed Therapies That Counter the Life-long Impacts of Shame
Presenter: Jill Levenson, PhD, LCSW
Using SAMHSA’s guidelines for trauma-informed care (TIC), this 90-minute training will describe how to translate TIC principles into practice when working with LGBTQ+ populations. Mental health professionals will conceptualize the strengths and needs of LGBTQ+ clients through the lens of trauma, and learn to implement trauma-informed skills across a variety of roles when working with this community. Given the existence of many traumagenic stressors, stigma, and injustice, we will discuss strategies for creating safe and affirming trauma-responsive spaces for LGBTQ+ clients who seek services.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn about the prevalence & impact of trauma in LGBTQ populations.
- Participants will be able to describe SAMSHA’s principles & components of trauma-informed care.
- Participants will learn to conceptualize LGBTQ+ client needs through a trauma lens.
- Participants will learn Trauma-informed Practices (TIPs) to translate TIC principles into action.
Models of Consultation and Support for Therapists in a Changing Delivery System
Presenter: Andre Caruso, PsyD
As we all know, “times are a-changin’.” With the emergence of online meeting platforms, more folks working from home (or a single person office) and of course, a global pandemic, finding support and connection is more important than ever. In this interactive, conversation style presentation around the evolution of support and consultation for mental health professionals, we will dive into 3 main areas. We will introduce a few strategies to avoid alienation and isolation and access support systems. Additionally, we will identify new ways and places to build connections with peers and colleagues. We will also explore new and creative trends in networking, education, service deliverability, and inspire new ways to think outside the box.
Objectives:
- Introduction of at least two models of support for mental health clinicians.
- Identify ways to decrease isolation and alienation for mental health professionals.
- Explore Trends and Future deliverables.
PANELIST and PRESENTERS’ BIOGRAPHIES____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASHLEY AUSTIN, PH.D. is currently Professor of Social Work at Barry University in Miami. FL. Her research and practice interests revolve around reducing disparities in health and treatment for LGBTQ youth and young adults. Her areas of research and professional practice include promoting resilience and well-being among sexual and gender minority youth, transgender affirmative practice, education, and research, and adaptations of empirically supported interventions for marginalized populations.
MARKYSE BERNADIN, LCSW, is a South Florida clinician in private practice whose work as therapist and certified life coach focuses on Self-esteem and Self-discovery. She is certified in trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and attends to processing past experiences and/or traumas that have affected self-esteem, as a step toward self-discovery about personal needs and purpose in the lives of her clients. Now completing her doctoral studies at Barry University, she has done extensive research on how clinicians can address the full range of implications of virtual platforms and social media in clinical care and client support.
ANDRE CARUSO, PsyD, is a psychologist, performance coach and speaker. He describes himself as “a personal trainer for your brain.” Dr. Caruso specializes his focus in the areas of behaviors, mindset and identity. With over a decade in mental health and two decades in the hospitality arena, Dr. Caruso presents a unique blend of real-world experience combined with evidence-based strategies. Dr. Andre Caruso or “The Doctor”, as he is affectionately known, helps both individuals and corporate teams “achieve awesomeness.” Dacpacs.com
ADRIANNA CASTRO-CONVERS, PhD is a clinical psychologist licensed in both Pennsylvania and Florida. She worked for Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, PA in an outpatient community mental health clinic setting offering therapeutic services to under-served populations. She is currently in private practice providing individual, couples and family therapies, lecturing on diversity theory, as well as acting as clinical supervisor to graduate-level students who are completing their masters and doctoral level training at nearby universities. Dr. Castro-Convers has also served as an adjunct professor of psychology at colleges/universities in the Philadelphia region lecturing on multicultural diversity, psychopathology, and Relational, Feminist and LGBT-affirming therapies.
JILL LEVENSON, PhD, LCSW is a Professor of Social Work at Barry University in Miami, FL. She is a SAMHSA-trained TIC instructor and coordinator of the Trauma-informed Training Initiative at Barry’s Center for Human Rights & Social Justice. She has published extensively about adverse experiences and TIC. Dr. Levenson is a licensed clinical social worker providing clinical services in South Florida. In 2020 she was awarded the NASW-FL Miami-Dade Social Worker of the Year. She has provided TIC trainings in more than 25 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and Hong Kong.
JAMES LOPRESTI, PhD, LMHC, is the founder of the Mental Health Services programs at SunServe and currently is the agency’s Clinical Network Managing Consultant. He has nearly 30 years of experience as a counselor and therapist with the LGBTQ+ community, serving as Clinical Director in agency settings in VA, DC and FL. He has held faculty positions for graduate programs in various helping professions in Boston, New York, Chicago, Washington DC and Miami and has been a frequent workshop presenter in those cities on LGBTQ topics with a special emphasis on Transgender Care. A co-founder of the South Florida Transgender Medical Consortium, in 2008 he was named Public Citizen of the Year by the Broward Unit of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
RIAN MERRICK, MSC, RMHI, is a senior youth therapist in SunServe’s Youth and Family Services Department and the lead group facilitator of SunServe’s Different Drummer Family Group for families with Gender Diverse young children. Rian’s passion for creating safe-spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and their parents began in Trinidad & Tobago, where he co-founded The Silver Lining Foundation, a youth driven and youth-led organization. Rian’s drive to help diverse populations led him to pursue his Master’s in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling, and he joined the team at SunServe soon after.
RYAN PAPCIAK, LCSW, is the recently appointed Clinical Director at SunServe. Currently completing his PhD at Barry University focusing his research on transgender care, he is The Trans Perspectives Project Director of Barry University’s Center of Human Rights and Social Justice. Additionally, he serves as consultant for The Center of Excellence: LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity at the University of Maryland.
GEANNY JOSEPH RUIZ, MEd serves as the Statewide Safe and Healthy Schools Manager for Equality Florida. She is a South Florida native of Haitian descent. Geanny has worked extensively within education systems providing professional development and resources to advance the health, safety and well-being of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. Prior to her time at Equality Florida, she managed the Office of LGBTQ+ Initiatives and Allyship at Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education and Advocacy. She has implemented policies, procedures and programs to foster inclusive environments for all students. Geanny holds a bachelor’s degree in public communications and a Master’s Degree in Education.
ADAM SCHWARTZ, JD, an attorney at the law firm of Homer Bonner Jacobs Ortiz in Miami, is the father of a transgender child and member of SunServe’s Different Drummer Group
TODD TEDROW, DSW, LCSW, current Chair of the Board of Directors at SunServe, is Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Barry University. A leader in healthcare and higher education for many years, his diverse background includes serving as a clinical and management executive in healthcare settings with a focus on organizational change/improvement as well as serving as an Assistant Professor and Assistant Chair for a School of Social Work prior to coming to Barry University. He has presented internationally on the topic of Narrative Therapy in Groups and serves as core faculty for the Florida Institute on Group Facilitation, a program recognized by the International Association of Social Work with Groups
THE CEU PROCESS.
SunServe will upload 5 CEU contact hours to CEBroker for Florida licensed psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and nurses. Florida CAPs can receive CEUs by submitting Certificates of Attendance to the Florida Certification Board. All participants, whether licensed or not, will receive Certificates of Attendance in exchange for completed evaluation forms at the end of the training day.
REGISTRATION: Click Here to register
SunServe is Florida DOH CEU provider 50-5251. Fl Board of Psychology [exp 5/2024]; FL Board of SW/MFT/MHC [exp 3/2024]. FL Board of Nursing [exp 10/2024] SunServe participates in