Foundations Presents Educational Workshops on “Teen Suicide Prevention” and “Behavioral Health Issues in LGBT Youth”

“Teen Suicide Prevention” and “Behavioral Health Issues in LGBT Youth” will be the topics covered during Foundations Community Partnership’s fall workshops for educators, counselors, parents, and mental health professionals.

Holly C. Wilcox, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine will explore “Prevention of Suicidal Behaviors Among Young People” on Weds., Nov. 1, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. – noon. Children and adolescents commonly keep their thoughts about suicide to themselves, and many suicide attempts go unrevealed to parents and other adults. Proactive screening programs for adolescent suicidality rely on the identification of the principal risk factors for completed suicide. Access to services and defeating the stigma of suicide are the biggest obstacles for suicide prevention. This workshop will address suicide prevention research that is being conducted in schools, discuss the known impact the research has made, identify needed research and practice going forward, and describe methods for long-term suicide prevention.

“Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Behavioral Health Issues in Children and Adolescents” will be covered on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. by Michele Angello, Ph.D., an expert on gender variant youth and author of Raising the Transgender Child: A Complete Guide for Parents, Families and Caregivers. Most well-intentioned and competent physicians and behavioral health practitioners have very little experience working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning, transgender, or gender-nonconforming children and adolescents. This can inadvertently fracture a relationship with the youth because the majority of them have faced marginalization or outright discrimination from family, friends, schools, spiritual institutions, and other treatment professionals. This workshop will provide an overview of best practices when working with children and youth whose self-identifications doesn't quite fit societal gender restrictions. Working with families is also an integral part of this work and salient factors around systems work will also be covered.

Three (3) continuing education credits will be offered for each workshop for PA Social Workers & Licensed Professional Counselors, Psychologists, NBCC Counselors, and Act 48.

The workshops will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Doylestown Health & Wellness Center Auditorium, 847 Easton Rd./Rt. 611, Warrington, PA 18976. Cost is $65 and includes breakfast.

For more information or to register, call Foundations Community Partnership, 267-247-5584 or visit www.fcpartnership.org