Clinical Strategies to Address Gender Dysphoria in Transgender Youth
Workshop Description
The distress that is often experienced by transgender individuals can be overwhelming leading to feelings of depression and anxiety. As clinicians, we know it is not our job to “fix” the struggles of our clients, but the pain and anguish gender dysphoria causes can make “fixing” hard to resist. While there may be concrete solutions to decrease individual’s gender dysphoria, including medical interventions, we know that transgender individuals experience gender dysphoria beyond the distress of physical incongruence and into their personal, professional and social lives. How can we stay present with our clients and refrain from offering solutions, suggestions and interventions? In this workshop, we will discuss and practice techniques for deeper and more meaningful listening to aide in the clinical care of individuals with gender dysphoria that is impacting their functionality in daily life.
Conference Track
Professional
Primary Contact
Aydin Olson-Kennedy, LCSW, Los Angles Gender Center
Workshop Presenters
Susan P Landon, LMFT
Presenter Bio
As director of the Child and Adolescent Program at the Los Angeles Gender Center, Susan Landon, LMFT, has been providing counseling for individuals, couples, children, and families in Santa Monica, California, for the past 30 years. She is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Susan speaks around the country about mental health therapy with gender-nonconforming children and adolescents, as well as facilitating a large parent and youth support group in Los Angeles.
Aydin Olson-Kennedy, LCSW, Los Angles Gender Center
Presenter Bio
Aydin Olson-Kennedy, MSW, is the executive director of the Los Angeles Gender Center where he provides therapy for gender-nonconforming and transgender youth, adults, and their families. He has spoken internationally on the importance of an informed-consent model of care, identifying and acknowledging domains of privilege and broadening clinicians and families understanding of gender dysphoria and its impact on the psychosocial well-being of gender-nonconforming and transgender individuals.
Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD
Presenter Bio
Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD, specializes in the care of gender-nonconforming children and transgender youth. Board certified in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, Dr. Olson-Kennedy has been providing medical intervention for transgender youth and young for the past 11 years, and is considered a national expert in this area. The medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, the largest transgender youth clinic in the United States, she also spearheads a rigorous research program that seeks to understand the trans experience from childhood through early adulthood. Dr. Olson-Kennedy has appeared frequently on national television, and spoken all over the country to educate providers, parents, and other communities about the needs of transgender youth.