“Supporting LGBTQ+ Students Living with Unsupportive Family During Covid-19” Kel Thomas (they, them, theirs), Ph.D., HSPP, Indiana University, Bloomington
This discussion-oriented session will provide some case examples of LGBTQ+ students living with various versions of unsupportive family to support participants in working through these cases together with focuses on building empathy for these students and finding ways to support them in continuing to connect with their LGBTQ+ identity while in their current context. Examples include a family that is aware of student's identity and who are trying to convince the student that they are wrong about this identity, a family who is unaware of the student's LGBTQ+ identity and would likely disown or harm them if they found out, and a family that became aware of the student's identity during the pandemic and have become increasingly hostile since this was revealed. Participants will discuss how these contexts could impact students emotionally, behaviorally, and academically and from there we would discuss implications for therapeutic treatment. This would include identifying ways students might continue to connect with LGBTQ+ community, ways to affirm that identity in themselves while in this challenging context, and times when we might need to discuss alternate housing options with students which may involve contact with other agencies or personnel. Finally, we'll discuss how race and ethnicity might intersect with LGBTQ+ identity in ways that impact the experiences of students living with unsupportive family during Covid-19 and implications of this intersectionality on our work with them.
Zoom ID: 987 3303 5742
Password DHM20