2008 Workshop & Panel Sessions

Rebecca Fox is the Director of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, the nation’s leading LGBT health advocacy organization. Her background includes policy work at SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, where she assisted the work of state level groups and coalitions to ensure comprehensive sexuality education, and the National Partnership for Women and Families, where she monitored federal legislation pertaining to health insurance, gender-based discrimination, and reproductive rights. She also teaches human sexuality at the George Washington University, and serves on the board of directors of Choice USA, and Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force.

Through interactive and small group exercises, participants will learn and improve LGBT health advocacy skills for use with all types of decision makers.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Be able to identify and use advocacy tools
• Understand and apply principles of advocacy messaging
• Increase their ability to effectively advocate.

Many transgender individuals seeking psychotherapy encounter therapists with knowledge of GLB issues, but little or no knowledge of transgender issues. This workshop will explore the similarities and differences between populations, how these affect treatment planning, case conceptualization, and the therapeutic alliance.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Have a useful model for conceptualizing transgender issues;
• Understand how sexuality and gender are different identities, yet overlap;
• Learn what constitutes a helpful therapist (and what is less helpful).

This workshop will include a review of common and persistent health disparities, historical realities and misconceptions about the health and sexuality of People of Color and the health needs of LGBT minorities.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Be able to identify specific health disparities.
• Attain greater competence with ethnically diverse patients/clients.
• Acquire skills to encourage greater patient/client compliance in treatment.

Dichotomous categories---gay/straight, man/woman, Black/White—are used to sort people into neat and tidy boxes; however, this binary short-hand casts many peoples’ wholeness, including bisexuals, gender queers, and bicultural people, into the realm of the invisible. Panelists will learn how to take a history and risk assessment, identify support systems, and how to provide health education in ways that create space for clients to say and ask for what they need.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Articulate the difference between behavior and identity
• Formulate culturally competent questions about sexual health and family/partner status
• Identify potential HIV/STD health education needs of clients who partner with more than one gender

Exercise, eat better, stop smoking/drinking/using drugs, take medications.....these are just a few of the health behaviors we try to influence in our work. But what does it really take to change? This interactive orientation to behavior change offers practical strategies for increasing client motivation to change and improving health outcomes.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Identify stages of readiness in clients they are working with.
• Match and utilize basic counseling strategies with the identified stage of readiness.
• Identify and modify environmental barriers that may contribute to resistance with clients.

Presenters will provide an overview of Chronic Disease Self Management Programs (CDSMP), including the Positive Self-Management Program for persons living with HIV/AIDS, information on the availability of local self-management programs, group processes and health benefits and outcomes for patients.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Discuss self-management programs with clients in a more knowledgeable way, and have gained an understanding of Stanford's CDSMP and PSMP.
• Discuss how participants process the information learned in the series, how relationships are created and how action plans become part of their everyday language.
• Identify how to integrate the skills learned in the class series into their daily interactions with clients and how these enhanced skills help patients increase their self-management and involvement in their overall health.

Research in the field of medicine and health acknowledges the efficacy of the creative process on the psychological and emotional well being of the individual; the field of Arts and Healthcare is a growing aspect of medical training, hospital care and community building. Presenters will introduce work being done at the local Well Arts Institute, offer an overview of current arts interventions focused on LGBTQI communities, and utilize experiential techniques to reinforce the value of arts in health interventions.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Cite specific research and theory that reinforces the value of using arts interventions with the LGBTQI community.
• Learn and experience techniques for using drawing, song analysis, improvisation, and song writing in a group context with LGBTQI clients.
• Obtain knowledge on how they can implement art and music therapy as an adjunct to their professional or personal lives to explore LGBTQI issues.

Despite efforts of medical and mental health professionals to reduce the negative impact of institutionalized heterosexism on LGBT persons, sexual minorities still experience internalized heterosexism (or internalized homophobia -IH), which may be invalidating or devaluing their identity. Research has linked IH, directly and indirectly, with negative health outcomes; this workshop will assist practitioners to conceptualize IH as a barrier to positive medical and mental health outcomes.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Understand different variations of internalized homophobia and learn how to screen for IH in sexual minority clients/ patients.
• Understand how internalized homophobia contributes to negative health and mental health outcomes for sexual minority clients/ patients.
• Learn some practical tools for helping sexual minority clients/ patients to resolve internalized homophobia.

This presentation will provide an overview of a) the most current data on tobacco use in the LGBTQ communities and among people with substance abuse and mental health diagnoses; b) the socio-cultural factors that impact high use rates in the LGBTQ communities; c) connections to other risk factors faced disproportionately by LGBTQ communities; d) the integration of cessation in treatment settings (for example, of HIV or substance abuse); and e) sample tobacco control policies adopted by treatment centers and clinics.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Discuss reasons for and strategies of instituting tobacco-free clinical and treatment facilities and including tobacco cessation as part of treatment for other health issues.
• Describe the extent of and reasons for tobacco use in the LGBTQ communities.
• Provide examples of tobacco control policies utilized by hospitals, clinics and treatment centers.

Presenters will provide accurate, up-to-date statistics surrounding health concerns for LGBTQ youth and introduce tools for establishing culturally competent care for this population. Participants will learn appropriate (and inappropriate) terminology applicable to the spectrum of Sexual and Gender Minority youth, tools to interrupt homo/transphobic language, and ways to “passively advertise” as Allies to the LGBTQ community.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Be familiar with up-to-date information and language surrounding sexual and gender minority youth
• Identify barriers to care confronted by LGBTQ youth.
• Advertise themselves as LGBTQ Allies, creating safe environments for LGBTQ people.

GLBTQ youth continue to be at high risk for a variety of issues including drug/alcohol use, suicidality, and homelessness. This presentation will provide an introduction to the mental health treatment of GLTBQ youth as well as a clear understanding of the risk factors facing these youth. Presenters will offer concrete strategies for youth engagement to optimize success in the treatment of their mental health issues.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Understand the risk factors surrounding GLTBQ youth and common mental health disorders.
• Understand the special considerations when treating this population and learn specific strategies needed in order to be culturally competent in the treatment of GLTBQ youth.
• Receive comprehensive resources available to GLTBQ youth in the Portland metro area.

This interactive workshop will use new data from the Oregon Healthy Teens (OHT) survey and the Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (WA BRFSS) to help participants develop skills to describe and use health risk data for LGB youth and adults in the Pacific Northwest.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Describe availability and uses of data in public health programming, especially as it relates to LGBTQ persons
• Understand basic data analysis concepts such as sample size, confidence interval, statistical significance.
• Describe disparities in selected health, risk factors and preventive healthcare measures for adult lesbian and bisexual women in comparison to straights and gay and bisexual men in comparison to straights.

Elder Resource Alliance will share information on the unique needs and concerns of LGBTQI senior citizens in order to enhance providers’ service delivery. Audience participants will take away an awareness of the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities, and about how to acknowledge, respect and support the individuality of all people.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Be aware of the presence and needs of older LGBTQI persons as clients, and individuals.
• Better meet the unique needs of older LGBTQI clients.
• Identify and minimize barriers to optimal care for older LGBGQI community members

Preliminary results from a local survey suggest over 60% of homeless youth in Portland self identify as either gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. This session will include personal stories of youth and address the relationship between being a LGBTQ youth and the risk factors that affect them disproportionately such as homelessness, substance use, mental health, etc.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Contrast similarities and differences in working with LGBTQ homeless youth, their non-LGBTQ homeless counterparts, and LGBTQ youth who are NOT homeless.
• Obtain the most recent data on LGBTQ homeless youth population in Portland as well as explore how this data compares to the national statistics and the services other cities provide.
• Learn ways to improve communication skills with this population.
• Increase their competency given the complexity of experiences and identities of this population.

The LGBTQ community is disproportionately affected by substance abuse. This presentation will review root causes, effective treatment strategies and gaps in services for the community.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Identify the main root causes of substance abuse in the LGBTQ community
• Learn best practices in helping LGBTQ patients with substance abuse issues
• Identify areas where medical and social service providers have additional work to do to effectively help the LGBTQ community.

In the United States, gay and bisexual men continue to be disproportionately impacted by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV. Primary care clinics and other clinical settings remain largely untapped venues for sexual health risk assessment and education due to cultural and institutional barriers. Presenters will address barriers and offer tactics to providing competent sexual health services to gay and bisexual men.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Explain what constitutes effective communication around gay and bisexual men's sexual health.
• Identify barriers to candid communication on sexual health topics with their patients, and;
• Identify strategies that they can bring back to their clinical or program milieu for overcoming identified barriers.

Through a dynamic and engaging learning atmosphere, participants in this session will examine their own beliefs about adolescent sexuality and receive a brief overview of relevant concepts in sexuality and teen brain development. Presenters will focus on addressing the specific needs of LGBTQ young people, the contexts for and influences on their sexuality, what skills can be implemented to address their needs, and what they most want and desire from care providers.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Apply their knowledge of the development of both adolescent brains and human sexuality to meaningful care interactions.
• Contrast similarities and differences in working with LGBTQ adolescents and their non-LGBTQ counterparts.
• Navigate adolescent sexuality teaching/learning moments using advice from young leaders in LGBTQ communities.

This workshop will address the various factors that support LGBTQ organizational cultural competence. The presentation will include data obtained from the LGBTQ Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Provider survey on cultural competence and next steps for participants who would like to increase their organization’s LGBTQ cultural competence.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Learn what constitutes LGBTQ Organizational Cultural Competency
• Identify steps that can be taken for your organization to increase its cultural competency for services and staff.
• Learn from the results of a LGBT Cultural competence survey of mental health and substance abuse treatment providers in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties

Many transgendered individuals are accessing hormones outside of the healthcare system, and therefore putting themselves at risk. One of the most significant barriers to connecting them with health care services is the lack of providers who are versed in, and comfortable with, transgender medicine. This presentation will cover the nuts and bolts of providing culturally competent transgender health care for transition and post transition, including taking a history, laboratory monitoring, initial and ongoing physical exams, and common medications. What to expect during transition from a medical perspective, including desired and potential adverse effects, will also be discussed.

After completion of this activity, participants will:

• Understand the rationale behind hormone therapy protocols
• Be able to state what desired and adverse effects are associated with the medications commonly used for transition.
• Understand the necessity for laboratory monitoring and the recommendations for their frequency