Gender Conference NYC Professional Symposium 2019

This workshop aims to outline ways of engaging children, teens, and families in traditional models of therapy, highlighting their adaptation to gender diverse youths and their families. The workshop will emphasize cognitive behavioral techniques for anxiety and mood disorders and family therapy techniques using a gender affirming approach. The NYU team will provide a general overview of gender identity’s unique impact on the adaptation and treatment of mental health disorders. They will offer practical recommendations on how to create gender affirming spaces, discuss minority stress in a meaningful way, enhance social support, and adapt Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, including exposure and cognitive restructuring, to both validate gender identity and address mental health concerns. We will also address adapting Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), through emphasizing the importance of balancing a change orientation with the use of acceptance-based strategies. The Gender & Family Project will present a literature review of family therapy and family engagement techniques used to increase family acceptance and to support transgender youths while engaging all members of the family. The use, advantages and challenges of multi family groups will also be discussed.