Helping Families Support LGBTQIA+ Youth

Description

This course does not offer CE Credits. The same course is available for purchase and offers 2.5 CE hours for behavioral health clinicians.  See "related products" below.

What if your words could prevent a suicide? What if your guidance could mend a family on the brink of rupture? For LGBTQIA+ youth, acceptance is more than a moral imperative—it’s a lifeline. Clinicians who support both the young person and their family can profoundly alter the trajectory of a life.

Helping Families Support LGBTQIA+ Youth gives behavioral health professionals the tools to engage caregivers who are struggling, afraid, or misinformed—and to guide them toward understanding, empathy, and affirmation. It’s not easy work, but it is urgent. And the right knowledge can make all the difference.

Christopher McLaughlin, MSW, LCSW (he/him), brings more than 20 years of leadership and clinical experience to this course. As Executive Director of NASW Maine and owner of Inspired Consulting Group, Chris has worked extensively with LGBTQIA+ youth and families across clinical settings. He’s also a nationally recognized educator and award-winning advocate for inclusive mental health care. His expertise offers both practical insight and heartfelt perspective for clinicians who want to improve outcomes for queer youth and their families.

Chris delivers this training through a trauma-informed, family-systems approach rooted in both clinical best practices and lived experience. Using case illustrations, inclusive language, and strategies that honor both youth identity and caregiver concerns, Chris helps providers hold space for complex family dynamics while advocating for affirming care.

Topics covered include LGBTQIA+ terminology and identity development, stages of coming out, family rejection versus acceptance behaviors, trauma-informed clinical practices, grief and loss models, suicide risk, TF-CBT applications, ethical considerations, and the clinician’s role as an ally. Special emphasis is placed on real-world strategies for engaging caregivers who are struggling to accept their child’s identity.

Key Takeaways:

• Transform family dynamics: Gain skills to help families move from fear or rejection to understanding and affirmation.

• Enhance clinical effectiveness: Learn evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive strategies specific to LGBTQIA+ youth.

• Respond ethically and confidently: Build clarity around ethical issues and communication practices when working with this population.

Why this course?

• Clinician-centered education: Created by a nationally recognized expert with real-world experience in helping families and systems support LGBTQIA+ youth.

• Comprehensive and accessible: Combines trauma-informed models, clinical techniques, and advocacy strategies in a digestible format.

• Mission-driven learning: Offered by Telehealth Certification Institute, whose mission is to empower healthcare professionals with exceptional continuing education.

Learning Objectives:

• Define terms associated with LGBTQIA+ youth

• Review several key concepts related to LGBTQIA+ youth

• Introduce a model of coming out for LGBTQIA+ youth

• Bring awareness of the risk factors associated with LGBTQIA+ youth

• Outline best practice clinical approaches for the behavior health treatment of LGBTQIA+ youth

• Educate on concepts of Pronouns/Dead Names

• Review concepts of Trauma-Informed Care and Grief and Loss theories

• Provide overview of family rejection vs. family acceptance

• Apply Trauma-Focused CBT principals in clinical work with families of LGBTQIA+ youth

• Introduce strategies to enhance family acceptance

• Describe ethical issues that might arise when working with LGBTQIA+ youth and families

Whether you’re a seasoned clinician or just beginning your work with LGBTQIA+ clients, this self-paced course offers tools that can help you make a lasting difference.

Enroll now and become the provider families can turn to when they need it most.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study program and consists of 2.5 hours of video instruction and an evaluation.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructors and Disclosures

Instructor

About Christopher McLaughlin, MSW, LCSW

Chris McLaughlin (he/him/his) is the Executive Director of the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and owner of Inspired Consulting Group, LLC. He obtained his BA in Psychology and his MSW from the University of Maine. Chris has spent more than 20+ years as a provider and a leader in behavioral health services for youth and families across a variety of clinical settings. Chris is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maine and Husson University in Bangor.

Additionally, Chris served for four years on the Maine Board of Social Work Licensing and is a member of both the NASW and the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC), where he is the current Maine Chapter President, and he is a member of the National Board. Chris holds additional certifications from Cornell University. Nationally, he was SSWLHC’s 2019 recipient of the Eleanor Clark Award and was named Health Care Social Worker of the Year in 2019 by the Maine Hospital Association and the Maine Chapter of the SSWLHC. In 2020, Chris was awarded the Alumni of the Year distinction from the University of Maine School of Social Work.

For organizations seeking further guidance on LGBTQ+ issues, Chris offers a consultation service to walk organizations through essential competencies that move them closer toward being LGBTQ+ affirming providers. Learn more about Chris’ professional background and interests.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

This course does not offer CE credits, just great content.

The same course is available for purchase and offers 2.5 CE hours for behavioral health clinicians.  See "related products" below.

This course is a non-interactive, online self-study.

Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.

Accommodations and Policies

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement