Promoting Well Being for LGBT Youth at Univ. at Albany

TheSOGIProject The Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Project at the University at Albany School of Social Welfare Presents   Promoting Well-being for LGBT Youth

Friday, November 16th, 2012 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM   SUNY Albany, Downtown Campus Husted Amphitheater 106A    The Critical Role of Families in Reducing Risk for Suicide & Other Health Problems with Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW, Director, Family Acceptance Project, SF State University   This workshop will present compelling new research on LGBT youth and families from the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University on the dramatic influence families have on their LGBT children's health, mental health and well-being. Family acceptance protects against risk and helps promote well-being, while family rejection is related to serious health and mental health concerns including depression, suicidality, substance abuse and STDs. Dr. Ryan will discuss key findings and an evidence-based family intervention model to help ethnically and religiously diverse families support their LGBT children. Revolutionary and paradigm-changing, this work is changing how LGBT youth are served across multiple domains and systems of care.        Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW is a clinical social worker who has worked on LGBT health and mental health for nearly 40 years. She is the Director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University. Dr. Ryan received the American Psychological Association, Division 44 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Achievement Award for groundbreaking research on LGBT youth and families. Her family education publications have been designated as the first "Best Practice" resources for suicide prevention for LGBT people by the national Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention. Dr. Ryan has trained more than 30,000 providers, clergy, families and youth on her research and evidence-based family approach across the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Latin America and China.     $25 professionals/$10 students (scholarships available)  includes lunch and training materials   REGISTRATION:  (518) 462-6138 (Box 12) or sogi@albany.edu www.albany.edu/ssw/Academic/sogi.shtml   This workshop is made possible through the generous support of the University at Albany Diversity Transformation Fund, NYS Office of Mental Health's Suicide Prevention Initiative, the Northeast Division of NASW NYS, The Sage Colleges, Rainbow Access Initiative, and the Pride Center of the Capital Region's LGBT Mental Health Substance Abuse Network.

Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com

Family Acceptance Project

There is a new report from the family project that you may find helpful in educating your community about LGBTIQ Youth and suicides. See their website at http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/home

"The Family Acceptance Project™ is the only community research, intervention, education and policy initiative that works to decrease major health and related risks for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, such as suicide, substance abuse, HIV and homelessness – in the context of their families. We use a research-based, culturally grounded approach to help ethnically, socially and religiously diverse families decrease rejection and increase support for their LGBT children.

Our team is putting research into practice by developing the first evidence-based family model of wellness, prevention and care to strengthen families and promote positive development and healthy futures for LGBT children and youth. Once developed, we will disseminate our model across the U.S. and to groups we work with in other countries."