Complex Grief & Loss in LGBTQ+ Communities
Jen Brown, LICSW (She/They) & Sarah Eley, LICSW (she/her)
Friday, October 4th, 2024 | 1:30pm -4:45pm, ET | Zoom
Training Cost: $100* | Cost to Add CEs: $25 | Registration | Payment Portal
When we are taught about loss and grief in clinical training programs, we generally learn about aging, death, and relationships ending (divorce, breakups, etc.). For queer, trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive people, the meaning of loss and grief can take on additional significance. This can include but is not limited to: changes in one's sense of belonging to community, family, role(s), and perceived identities, and for some, a loss of privilege or marginalization. In addition, more common experiences of grief and bereavement, i.e. death of a loved one, are often complicated for LGBTQ+ adults due to difficulty accessing affirming spaces in which to mourn and grieve; concerns about rejection from family of origin; loss of status and identity for older LGBTQ+ adults who lose a partner/spouse; and more.
We hope to provide more clinical context for the various ways that grief profoundly impacts queer, trans and gender expansive adults that often goes under- or unacknowledged in traditional clinical trainings about grief and bereavement.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Participants will be able to identify 3 ways that grief/loss uniquely impacts LGBTQIA+ adults;
Participants will be able to use 2 different approaches to help clients identify and label what they are experiencing as grief responses;
Participants will be able to explain the relationship between layers of oppression and marginalization and grief using a trauma-informed lens
About the PresenterS:
Jen Brown, LICSW (she/they) is a white queer femme neurodivergent therapist who has worked with LGBTQIA+ adults in settings ranging from community health centers to college counseling. In clinical practice since 2014, Jen has provided training, clinical supervision, and consultation on providing queer- and gender-affirming care. Jen's approach to therapeutic work is rooted in providing a safe, empathic, relationally attuned space in which someone can learn about themselves, grow, and feel more affirmed in their gender, sexuality, and all other aspects of identity. Jen strives to practice from an anti-oppression, trauma-informed lens, grounded in the belief that effective therapy is about healing and liberation, and thus is inherently connected to social, racial, and economic justice. Jen works full-time at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with adult oncology patients, and has a part-time virtual private practice with a focus on providing trauma-informed, gender- and queer-affirming care, supporting LGBTQIA+ people, chronically ill and disabled folks, neurodivergent (ND) individuals, and trauma survivors.
Sarah Eley, MSW, LICSW (she/her/hers) is a queer, white, cisgender woman of mixed Ashkenazi Jewish and non-Jewish ancestry, and a first generation immigrant of economic privilege, who grew up in the unceded land of MI.
Sarah received her MSW from Smith College School for Social Work in 2009. Sarah has worked in community health care centers, schools, youth drop-in settings, and in intimate partner violence organizations. She has led trainings and professional workgroups, and provided clinical consultation for medical and mental health professionals in providing queer and gender affirming mental health care; examining personal/professional patterns of implicit bias, and how to provide accessible, affirming, equitable and ethical service to Trans, Nonbinary and Gender Expansive people. She loves the mix of doing therapy, training and community education. Some of Sarah’s interests include: the forming and exploring of identity(ies), the (continuous) process of coming out, navigating emotional and personal boundaries, exploring issues of perfectionism and avoidance, looking at white supremacy culture, racism and its impact, finding internal resiliency and healing, and developing assertive communication in relationships. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time outside, with her dog, dancing, eating ice cream and reading LGBTQIA+ young adult fiction.
**A NOTE ABOUT COST:
In an effort to recognize barriers created by systems of oppression, we invite those with less financial means to opt into paying a discounted rate between $75-$100. In support of this effort, we also invite those with more economic privilege to consider adding $5-$25 to the base price of attendance.
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Workshops and courses may be cancelled by SAYFTEE if minimum enrollment requirements are not met. In this case, full fees will be refunded or applied to future programs. Otherwise, no refunds are provided for registrants.
GRIEVANCE POLICY:
Valid grievance requests must be received in writing/email (info@sayftee.com) within ten days of the workshop date, or can be provided in person directly after the workshop. Every attempt will be made to resolve a grievance with a complainant at the time of the grievance. Should this not be resolved, the complainant will be provided further grievance procedures to follow including contacting the appropriate licensing boards.