Foster Care Training

This training is for birth/first parents, foster parents and mental health providers involved in caregiving for gender expansive and LGBTQ youth in care. The training will highlight research that suggests the importance of family affirmation in the health and mental health of gender expansive and LGBTQ youth and young adults. Mental health providers can play an important role in helping parents (foster parents and birth/first family members) be able to be the informed, affirming and advocating caregivers that their gender expansive and/or transgender children need them to be. Dr. Anderson is currently the program coordinator for the Youth Acceptance Program at Family Builders in Oakland California. Clinical experience suggests that there are patterns in the way that both initially accepting, and initially non-accepting, caregivers move to places of greater acceptance and affirmation of the children in their care. Dr. Anderson will discuss interventions to address common caregiver feelings that commonly drive rejecting behavior. The presentation will specifically explore the kinds of support caregivers need to be able to keep kids safe and well-cared for. Foster home placements and group home settings will be specific highlighted.