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LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care Specialist Training

LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care Specialist Training

This course includes
  • Unlimited access to all modules
  • Up to 23.75 CE hours
  • Downloadable digital badge

$1,269.91 Value
Just $299.99!

REGISTER NOW
  • Skills to use targeted assessments that address your clients' unique clinical needs.
  • Lifesaving strategies to effectively address self-injury and prevent suicide.
  • Expertise in navigating intersecting identities to achieve better mental health outcomes.
  • Ready-to-use tools like templates and advocacy resources to elevate your practice immediately.

Complete the training and showcase your expertise with a digital badge—a credential to share on your website, email signature, or LinkedIn profile. Let clients and colleagues know you’re a trusted LGBTQ+ specialist committed to delivering the highest standard of care.

The time to act is now. Step into your role as a leader in LGBTQ+ mental health and make a tangible, lasting impact in your clients' lives.


See what your colleagues are saying about this course!
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care Specialist Training
Clinical Skills for Trauma Recovery, Identity Development, and Inclusive Practices

$1,269.91 Value
Just $299.99 Today!
GET STARTED NOW

Plus, earn up to 23.75 CE Hours included in the course tuition.
Click here for Credit details | Click here for course objectives and outline
Here’s What You’ll Learn

LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy in Action: Practical Strategies with CBT, ACT, and Trauma-Informed Approaches

In this first part of your learning journey, you’ll gain the tools and confidence to deliver truly affirming and inclusive care to LGBTQ+ clients. Using trauma-informed careCBT, and ACT, you’ll learn how to create a welcoming environment, meet unique client needs, and become a trusted ally in LGBTQ+ mental health.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Essential tools to confidently use affirming language and foster connection with LGBTQIA+ clients from day one.
  • Proven methods like CBT, ACT, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care tailored to LGBTQIA+ experiences.
  • Expert guidance on navigating gender-affirming care, ethical dilemmas, and anti-LGBTQIA+ policies with ease.
  • Innovative strategies to break through barriers like stigma, minority stress, and intersectional challenges.
  • Game-changing advocacy skills to empower clients with resources, referrals, and deeper community connections.

Foundations of Affirmative Care: Sex, Kinks & More

  • Understand inclusive care and its impact
  • Key terms and concepts
    • Sex vs. Gender
    • Sexual orientations and the fluidity of sexuality
    • Unconventional relationships
    • The hidden world of kink communities

Cultivate Cultural Competence and Prevent Microaggressions

  • Practice role-playing techniques to better recognize unconscious biases in self and client
  • Understand microaggressions and their effect on clients
  • Cultural competence in the care of different LGBTQIA+ populations
  • Cultural humility development and utilize self-reflection skills to support mental health growth
    • “Live and let live”
    • Self-reflection exercise
    • Case studies

Essential Clinical Strategies for Affirmative Care: “Real life” Affirmative Language & Communication Techniques

  • Use affirming language with different communities, based on unique needs
    • “Real life” affirmative language examples
    • Inclusive communication and open-ended questions
  • Gender-affirming interventions and how to implement them in therapeutic practice
    • Meet clients where they are – affirm, validate, and support
    • Explore the spectrum of gender and identity
      • Allow for diversity and develop a deeper understanding of identity
    • Must-knows for referring clients to gender affirming healthcare providers and writing letters for transgender/gender-diverse clients
      • Ethical considerations
      • Navigating the anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and bans
      • Useful coping strategies for gender dysphoria
  • Evidence-based treatments & resources for diverse populations
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
    • Mindfulness
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    • Trauma-informed therapy
  • Common barriers to care and improve mental health access
    • Stigma & discrimination
    • Intersectional identities
    • Trauma and minority stress
    • Support clients despite discriminatory laws and policies
    • Best practices for creating safe, inclusive spaces for all clients
  • Goal setting and treatment planning
    • Empowerment through collaboration
    • Tailor interventions for unique needs, experiences and identities

Support LGBTQIA+ Clients in Therapy & Beyond

  • The effectiveness of affirmative care interventions
  • The ongoing challenges you and your clients will face
  • Offer additional support – community and resource referrals
  • Your advocacy matters!
  • Necessary future research
  • Limitations and potential risks

LGBTQ+ Care Across the Lifespan: Specialized Interventions for Youth, Older Adults, Self-Injury, and Gender-Affirmation

In this next part of your training, you’ll gain the expertise to provide powerful, life-changing care for LGBTQ+ clients at every stage of life. Whether it’s supporting self-injury recovery or writing impactful gender-affirming letters, you’ll master the tools to help clients navigate challenges and thrive.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Essential, game-changing therapeutic approaches to support LGBTQ+ clients at every life stage, from youth to older adulthood.
  • Powerful tools to tackle the impact of social stigmas on mental health and help clients thrive.
  • Proven interventions for managing self-injury and boosting emotional regulation.
  • Ready-to-use templates for writing gender-affirming treatment letters (and knowing when it’s appropriate).
  • Expert strategies for delivering developmentally tailored care, ensuring clients feel seen, heard, and supported at every stage of their journey.

Create a Safe Therapeutic Space

  • Avoid offensive language
  • Respectfully ask about identity in intake sessions
  • Tailor approach to transgender vs. LGBQ clients
  • Build rapport and comfort

Identity Formation and Coming Out

  • LGBTQ+ identity development stages
  • Address internalized phobias
  • Strategies for coming out, overcoming fear, shame, rejection
  • Bullying and safety concerns

Clinical Considerations and Interventions

  • Treatment for depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidality, substance use, shame
  • Importance of family acceptance
  • Intersectionality and research limitations

Differences within the LGBTQ+ Spectrum

  • Address invisibility, self-esteem in Lesbian Youth
  • Gender roles, sexual health, and substance use in Gay Youth
  • Recognize bisexuality and combat erasure in Bisexual Youth
  • Support gender expression and puberty blockers for Transgender Youth
  • Allow exploration without labeling for Questioning Youth

Working with Families

  • Help families navigate coming out
  • Techniques for unsupportive families and religious conflicts
  • Building support networks

LGBTQ-Affirmative School Environments

  • Assist parents with advocacy
  • Coach youth in self-advocacy
  • Manage bullying (cyber and in-person)

Older LGBTQ+ Adults: Social and Health Considerations

  • Historical milestones and challenges
  • Address discrimination, systemic barriers, religious conflicts
  • Gender-affirming care, trauma-informed approaches

Health Considerations for Older LGBTQ+ Adults

  • Physical health: aging, chronic conditions, HIV, cardiac disease
  • Mental health: depression, loneliness, substance use
  • End-of-life care, long-term care, dementia

Clinical Strategies for LGBTQ+ Self-Injury

  • Define self-harm and risk factors
  • Theories: Four Function Model, Cognitive-Emotional Model
  • Assess risk, support staff, and practice self-care

Gender Affirming Letters

  • Best practices for writing letters and supporting transitions

Improving LGBTQ+ Care

  • Create an inclusive clinic environment
  • Educate staff, provide LGBTQ+ friendly documents
  • Apply the 5 A’s of care: approachability, acceptability, availability, affordability, and appropriateness

Resources

  • Terminology, organizations, websites, and bibliography for further learning

LGBTQ+ Intersecting Identities: Clinical Tools to Navigate the Complexities of Race, Disability, Sexuality, and Spirituality in Therapy

In this final phase, you’ll explore the diverse experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, focusing on sexual identity, non-monogamy, and intersecting identities like disability, gender, and race. You’ll gain practical tools to provide inclusive care, support LGBTQ+ people of color, and help clients navigate spiritual development that aligns with their identity.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Actionable tools to eliminate ableism and sanism in your practice and create a more inclusive environment.
  • Proven interventions to boost emotional wellness for BIPOC LGBTQ+ clients and foster resilience.
  • Powerful strategies to reclaim spiritual beliefs and challenge pathologizing narratives in therapy.
  • Practical, client-centered tools to address intersecting identities and provide truly affirming care across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Understanding the Role of Racial Identity in Sexual and Gender Orientation

  • The importance of racial identity in shaping and influencing sexual and gender orientation
  • Creating cultural humility in therapy
  • Tools to identify and address personal biases in clinical practice
  • Acknowledging research limitations and potential risks

Intersectionality and Emotional Wellness in BIPOC LGBTQIA Clients

  • Definition and relevance of intersectionality to spirituality, religion, and emotional wellness in BIPOC clients
  • Applying intersectionality in clinical settings
  • Distinguishing spirituality from religion and their roles in emotional wellness
  • The impact of misusing spirituality and religious teachings in therapy
  • Analyzing the pathologization of BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and BIPOC LGBTQIA communities
  • Incorporating culturally relevant clinical resources through the Afrocentric Paradigm
  • Tailoring spiritual assessments for BIPOC LGBTQIA clients
  • Clinically aligned spiritual references without imposing an agenda

Therapeutic Models for Spiritual Work with BIPOC LGBTQIA Communities

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS), Brainspotting, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing (SE)
  • Attunement within these modalities to support spiritual exploration
  • Understanding gaps and addressing risks when applying these models

Understanding Models of Disability in Therapy

  • Definitions and historical/theoretical models: medical, social, and feminist
  • Intersection of disability, gender, and sexuality
  • Recognizing ableism and sanism and their impact on clinical training and practice
  • Tensions between mental health practices and sanism

Disability Justice and LGBTQ+ Clients

  • The influence of ableism on therapy and training
  • Clinical implications of infantilization and desexualization
  • Overview of Disability Justice and its Ten Principles
  • Clinical application of three principles
  • Identifying needed changes in clinical practice and training
  • Practical examples and vignettes
  • Bridging Disability Justice with inclusive clinical care

Actionable Insights

  • Identify three specific changes to implement in clinical practice or training
  • Encourage ongoing education and practice refinement to promote inclusivity

Understanding the Role of Racial Identity in Sexual and Gender Orientation

  • The importance of racial identity in shaping and influencing sexual and gender orientation
  • Creating cultural humility in therapy
  • Tools to identify and address personal biases in clinical practice
  • Acknowledging research limitations and potential risks

Intersectionality and Emotional Wellness in BIPOC LGBTQIA Clients

  • Definition and relevance of intersectionality to spirituality, religion, and emotional wellness in BIPOC clients
  • Applying intersectionality in clinical settings
  • Distinguishing spirituality from religion and their roles in emotional wellness
  • The impact of misusing spirituality and religious teachings in therapy
  • Analyzing the pathologization of BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and BIPOC LGBTQIA communities
  • Incorporating culturally relevant clinical resources through the Afrocentric Paradigm
  • Tailoring spiritual assessments for BIPOC LGBTQIA clients
  • Clinically aligned spiritual references without imposing an agenda

Therapeutic Models for Spiritual Work with BIPOC LGBTQIA Communities

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS), Brainspotting, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing (SE)
  • Attunement within these modalities to support spiritual exploration
  • Understanding gaps and addressing risks when applying these models

Understanding Models of Disability in Therapy

  • Definitions and historical/theoretical models: medical, social, and feminist
  • Intersection of disability, gender, and sexuality
  • Recognizing ableism and sanism and their impact on clinical training and practice
  • Tensions between mental health practices and sanism

Disability Justice and LGBTQ+ Clients

  • The influence of ableism on therapy and training
  • Clinical implications of infantilization and desexualization
  • Overview of Disability Justice and its Ten Principles
  • Clinical application of three principles
  • Identifying needed changes in clinical practice and training
  • Practical examples and vignettes
  • Bridging Disability Justice with inclusive clinical care

Actionable Insights

  • Identify three specific changes to implement in clinical practice or training
  • Encourage ongoing education and practice refinement to promote inclusivity

LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care Specialist Training
Clinical Skills for Trauma Recovery, Identity Development, and Inclusive Practices

$1,269.91 Value
Just $299.99 Today!
GET STARTED NOW

Plus, earn up to 23.75 CE Hours included in the course tuition.
Click here for Credit details | Click here for course objectives and outline

Meet your LGBTQ+ Affirming Care Course Experts


Hayden Dawes

Hayden Dawes, LCSW, LCAS, has been a professional public speaker and consultant since 2014. He provides dynamic continuing education seminars on race and racism within mental health practice and the importance of self-tending practices while working in mental health and healthcare settings. After years of providing mental health treatment to diverse populations in various settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and the community, Dawes decided to pursue a PhD at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of social work, where he teaches research and practice courses. His research interest primarily lies in improving mental health treatment for people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals. He currently has a private practice, Courage(Inside)Out, PLLC, to serve this population.

Regarding leadership, he has been on the board of directors and vice president of the North Carolina Society for Clinical Social Work. Hayden currently serves on the executive council of the American Academy of Psychotherapists. In 2020, Hayden became a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Health Policy Research Scholar, a competitive, prestigious nationwide fellowship to support the next generation of scholars committed to creating health equity. When not reading, writing, conducting research, or practicing therapy, Hayden enjoys mindless scrolling on Instagram or Twitter. He’s also picked up another hobby of doing stand-up comedy.


Click here for information about Hayden Dawes

Hold for Alex Iantaffi
Alex Iantaffi, PhD, MS, SEP, CST, LMFT (they/them) is a family therapist, WPATH certified gender specialist, AASECT certified sex therapist, Somatic Experiencing® practitioner, clinical supervisor and author. Alex is a founding member and past chair of the Trans and Queer Interest Network of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and current president of the Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT). They have researched, presented and published extensively on gender, disability, sexuality, relationships, and HIV. They are a transmasculine, nonbinary, bi-queer, polyamorous, disabled, Italian immigrant and parent who has been living on Dakota and Anishinaabe territories, currently known as Minnesota since 2008. Alex is the author of award-winning book Gender Trauma: Healing Cultural, Social, and Historical Gendered Trauma and co-author of the books How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are, Life Isn’t Binary, How to Understand Your Sexuality, and Hell Yeah Self-Care: A Trauma-Informed Workbook. They also host the podcast Gender Stories. You can find out more about them at www.alexiantaffi.com or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @xtaffi.

Click here for information about Alex Iantaffi

Alexa (Lexi) Mulee
Lexi Mulee, LMHC, C-DBT, founder of Wise Mind Counseling specializes in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and applies it in her work with populations with borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, and substance use disorders, more specifically within the LGBTQ youth community. Lexi got her undergraduate degree at Hofstra University and pursued her graduate degree at the University of Miami. Lexi has been in the field for over 10 years and works extensively with each client to ensure their unique goals are being met. Having both experiences working at the inpatient level of care and the outpatient level of care, Lexi works uniquely with each client to ensure that their treatment is never one size fits all, but rather personalized for each individual’s needs and strengths. Lexi understands that navigating the world in 2024 as a member of the LGBTQIA community comes with its unique set of challenges and hurdles, and strives to create a safe space for clients to explore themselves, their individualized challenges and hurdles, and strives to create a safe space for clients to explore themselves, their individualized challenges, and their newfound skills to live a more effective, and thriving life!

Click here for information about Alexa Mulee

Dr. Brendan J Dunlop
Hi there – I am Dr. Brendan J Dunlop (he/him) and I am a Principal Clinical Psychologist.

I currently work part time for an NHS Trust in the Northwest of England. In addition, I work part time as the Deputy Director for Research and Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Psychology on the ClinPsyD clinical psychologist training programme at The University of Manchester, in England. I am also Associate Editor for the academic journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.

I completed my Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree in Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London, and my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at The University of Manchester. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

I have now either studied or worked in mental health care for 11 years. This has included work within prisons and secure forensic mental health care, with children and young people, with those that have had a brain injury or a stroke, with people that have intellectual disabilities, with people living with HIV, and adults that have severe and enduring mental health difficulties.

Click here for information about Brendan Dunlop

Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan
Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan, CDCP, ANPC-C, DNP, has over 30 years of experience in the geriatric field. Previously she has worked as a nurse practitioner, director of nursing, and staff nurse across various settings as she has focused in on her specialty of geriatric/dementia care. Nanette shared her knowledge with others as a clinical assistant professor at East Carolina University College of Nursing, a clinical instructor at UNCG and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Nanette has presented nationally and internationally on dementia, pain management, caregiver issues, and topics specific to long-term care.

She is the author of Eldercare: The Comprehensive Guide to Caregiving and a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the non-pharmacological management of behavioral problems in dementia. Her expertise and research are recognized through published work in Clinics of North America and in book chapters and online continuing education modules. Nanette also serves as an expert witness for several law firms and was a Sigma Theta Tau Faculty Mentor.

Her educational accomplishments include an MSN from Florida State University, a DNP from Vanderbilt University and a postdoctoral fellowship in ethnogeriatrics at Stanford University.

Click here for information about Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan

Margaret L. Conley
Margaret L. Conley, LCSW, MDiv, (She/Her/Hers), is the Executive Director of MLC Consulting, LLC, and the President of Mending Life Concepts Empowerment Group, Inc. She is a Licensed Clinical Social worker in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee where she provides crisis services and trauma-focused clinical therapy. Margaret is trained as a trauma therapist in Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, EMDR, and Adlerian Play Therapy. Margaret is a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator and LEGO® Serious Play® Facilitator. Margaret is a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor endorsed by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Margaret produced an evidence-based model which is a clinically aligned theological method designed for use by clergy, academics, and clinicians to help lead the conversation around Faith-Based Trauma in individual and community settings. She is the founder of Healthy and Holy® Conversations and the producer of the Healthy & Holy® Summit.

Margaret received her Bachelor of Art focused on Sociology and Anthropology with a concentration in child welfare services from Valdosta State University. She received her Master of Social Work degree from Clark Atlanta University in 2009. Margaret completed her Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center in 2013.

Click here for information about Margaret Conley

Lucie Fielding
Lucie Fielding, PhD, MA, LMHC, (she/they) is a white, neurodivergent queer, trans misogyny affected (TMA) femme, and a therapist practicing in Virginia and Washington (on Monacan lands and unceded Duwamish territory, respectively). They specialize in sex therapy, kink-knowledgeable therapy, 2SLGBTQIA-knowledgeable therapy, sex work-affirming therapy; and they work from the narrative, imaginal, and somatic frameworks that honor the (intergenerational) wisdom of the body, promote community-care, and support empowered embodied eroticism. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute (2018) and a PhD in French from Northwestern University (2008), specializing in erotic literature. Their background in literature attunes them to the ways that cultural scripts inscribe themselves on our bodies and inform our embodied erotic lives. In addition to being a therapist, Lucie is a sex educator who has facilitated workshops for a range of groups, organizations, universities, and agencies. They are the author of Trans Sex: Clinical Approaches to Trans Sexualities and Erotic Embodiments (2021), which was awarded an AASECT BookAward (Lammy) in the Transgender-Nonfiction category. You can find out more about Lucie at luciefielding.com or follow them on Instagram (@sexbeyondbinaries).

Click here for information about Lucie Fielding

Deb Coolhart
Deb Coolhart, PhD, LMFT, is a private practice clinician and an assistant professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Department at Syracuse University. She has been doing therapy with LGBTQ youth and their families for nearly 20 years. She created the Transgender Treatment Team in Syracuse University’s Couple and Family Therapy Center, where she trains and supervises master’s students to work with transgender people and their families.

Dr. Coolhart has several publications on clinical work with LGBTQ youth. Her recent work has focused on transgender youth and their families. She has developed a tool for assessing youths’ and families’ readiness for gender transition treatments, published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. She has also published multiple manuscripts on supporting transgender youth and families in therapy and advocating for trans-affirmative school environments. Recently, she co-authored a book, The Gender Quest Workbook: Guide for Teens and Young Adults Exploring Gender Identity. Additionally, Dr. Coolhart has conducted research on transgender people and their family relationships and the experiences of LGBTQ homeless youth.

Click here for information about Deborah Anne Coolhart

Tristan Martin
Tristan Martin, PhD, LMFT, is a private practice sexuality/gender therapist and professor in Syracuse, New York. He utilizes an affirmative and sex positive stance to connect and create change. Clinically he provides support for gender, sexual, erotic and relationally diverse communities, with specialization in supporting gender transition for youth and adults. Dr. Martin has presented at multiple national conferences and contributed publications to the field of family therapy on transgender issues.

Click here for information about Tristan Karel Martin
Frequently Asked Questions
 

Many LGBTQ+ care courses focus narrowly on one aspect of identity, like sexual orientation or gender identity, but we know that LGBTQ+ individuals are more than just labels—and focusing too much on a single identity can be limiting in helping clients heal.

This course goes beyond the surface, offering a holistic approach that affirms the whole person while addressing their unique goals and experiences. Instead of concentrating on just one part of your clients’ identities, this training equips you with the skills to support their full, authentic selves—across the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, mental health, and more.

You’ll leave this course not only with deeper expertise but with the confidence to create a truly inclusive practice that fosters lasting change for every LGBTQ+ client who enters your office.


This course is dedicated to LGBTQ+ affirmative care practices and interventions. Becoming a specialist involves a commitment to advanced training, staying current with research, and accumulating substantial clinical experience with this community. While this course offers valuable education and training tailored to the LGBTQ+ population, please note that completion does not certify your level of expertise, competency, or proficiency in this area.

Immediately when you register you'll have unlimited access to all materials, including printable slides, handouts, training videos, and more! This allows you to complete the certification at your own pace and revisit the content whenever you need it.
 

If you find that this course doesn't meet your expectations, we offer a satisfaction guarantee. Here’s what you can expect:

  1. Risk-Free Registration: We want you to feel confident in your decision to enroll. If the course doesn’t resonate with you or if you feel it isn’t meeting your needs, you can reach out within the specified time frame for a refund.
  2. Open Communication: Your feedback is valuable to us! If you have specific concerns or suggestions, we encourage you to share them. We’re committed to improving our programs based on participant experiences.
  3. Support and Resources: Even if the course isn’t a fit, our team is here to support you in finding alternative resources or training that aligns better with your goals.
 

We believe in the value of this training and its potential to transform your practice, but your satisfaction is our priority.

LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care Specialist Training
Clinical Skills for Trauma Recovery, Identity Development, and Inclusive Practices

$1,269.91 Value
Just $299.99 Today!
GET STARTED NOW

Plus, earn up to 23.75 CE Hours included in the course tuition.
Click here for Credit details | Click here for course objectives and outline
 
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Register for this intensive training course without risk. If you're not completely satisfied, give us a call at 800-844-8260.

We’re that confident you'll find this learning experience to be all that's promised and more than you expected.
 

NOTE: No additional discounts or coupons may be applied to this course.
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