Supporting Parents of LGBTQ Youth (2 CE Hours)

Once you’ve gotten to the point at which your child’s “queerness” can be talked about between you, you will each feel fear, apprehension, awkwardness and other flavors of angst – but there will also be relief, solace and a sense of bonding between you as well.

But processing a child’s definitive statement of their alternative sexuality or gender is only the beginning of the journey as a parent. Some freak out a little, some are totally fine with it), some accept it, some struggle – but they all still have to parent them.

Learning objectives:

• Describe the concepts of spectrum and sex and gender development.
• Explain Gender Dysphoria and transition– a primer on trans children and the impact on the family.
• Discuss 2 essential components of best practices for helping parents create safe spaces and identify and utilize resources.
• Discuss parenting challenges, common presenting problems and self-care for LGBTQ caregivers.

Speaker Bio:

Jo Langford is a therapist, sex educator and dad in Seattle. More about his work with youth, parents and professionals to promote healthy, positive and safe sexual and social behavior can be found at his website.