About this webinar
Dates: June 25 and 26, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. to noon ET
Facilitators: Jennifer Lane, MACP, RP, CPT, NFS, and Michelle Bridgman, M.Sc.
CE hours: 6
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers
- Direct Service Workers: drop in workers, shelter and hostel workers, child and youth workers, youth justice workers.
Level of training: Introductory/intermediate
Client age category: For professionals who work with clients aged 6 to adulthood.
Prerequisite: Participants should have some experience working with 2SLGBTQIA+ populations and knowledge of terminology.
Description: Working with youth in a mental health setting has a number of challenges on its own; adding in the complexities of youth exploring their sexual and gender identities can seem overwhelming.
This training will review the developmental stages that children go through and how they relate to gender and sexuality. We will discuss the nuances of allowing children to explore versus enforcing societal norms, and the implications of these choices.
Participants will learn how to work with families of children who are exploring or questioning their sexuality and gender, and how you can help them navigate these complicated topics.
The training will involve a mix of educational information, handouts and takeaways, and case application to ensure a well-rounded and robust learning experience.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the developmental process of developing gender and sexual identities in youth.
- Learn how to help youth navigate their gender and sexual identity exploration in healthy and meaningful ways.
- Learn how to help parents cope with and support children who are exploring their identities.
Continuing Education (CE) Information: SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) to offer continuing education (CE) hours. Full-day programs equal six CE hours; half-day programs equal three CE hours; for less than half-day programs, one hour of programming equals one CE hour. SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute maintains responsibility for the programs.
Other licensing boards and professional organizations will grant continuing education credits for attendance at their own discretion; participants will need to submit the course outline and Certificate of Participation for their consideration.
Registration closes
Accessibility
We strive to ensure our online learning programs are easy for everyone, everywhere. If you have any accessibility requirements (automatic transcripts, closed-captioning, ASL interpreters, advanced access to program materials), please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca to let us know how we can best support your learning experience.
Photography is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the content is a model, except where indicated.