Using Non-Violent Communication (NVC) to Support Family Acceptance of System-Involved LGBTQ Youth

Kelsey Pacha

Training Description

This training supports professionals in supporting caregivers who reject LGBTQ youth in their care for religious and/or spiritual reasons. It is often difficult for professionals supporting queer and/or trans youth in care to know how to talk to caregivers, whether biological family, resource parents, clinical providers, or other caring adults, about the importance of acceptance and affirmation during and after a young person comes out. Rejection by caregivers and important adults have lifelong impacts on LGBTQ youth at individual and systemic levels. This training will discuss common anti-LGBTQ spiritual/religious beliefs and how to have conversations about caregivers’ values, beliefs, and practices that validate and respect them, while also supporting family acceptance for their LGBTQ children. Using resources from the Family Acceptance Project and the principles of non-violent communication, participants will practice having difficult conversations with rejecting caregivers and familiarize themselves with community-based resources that can be shared with caregivers. These skills will be practiced in small group roleplays.

Learning Objective

1. Build a 1-2 sentence “elevator pitch” summarizing health research establishing a connection between rejecting behaviors & long-term negative health outcomes.
2. Identify four principles of non-violent communication which can be used to support increases in family acceptance for LGBTQ system involved youth.
3. Acquire at least one strategy for using non-violent communication through small group roleplay.

Agenda

9-9:45am  Introductions: name, gender pronoun, one thing you wish to learn. Define family rejection and review 8 research studies connecting family rejection to long-term negative health outcomes for LGBTQ youth.

9:45-10:45am Review four common concerns caregivers have about LGBTQ youth coming out. Large group discussion about how this has come up in providers’ practice. Review four principles of non-violent communication as one tool to support increasing family acceptance.

10:45-11am Break (CE Hours will not be offered for this time)

11am-12pm Small group roleplay & debrief. Community resources. Final Questions & Answers and wrap-up.

Meet Our Trainer

Kelsey Pacha, MA, M.Div. is a trans man who has worked with marginalized communities for 15+ years in a variety of settings. He holds a Master of Religion and Psychology, Master of Divinity, and Certificate of Sexuality and Religion from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Psychological Services from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He is the owner of Kelsey Pacha Consulting, which supports the work of institutions and individuals in increasing their capacity for cultural humility and social justice-informed institutional change. Kelsey offers educational trainings and LGBTQ workplace policy expertise with an emphasis on practical skills, identity awareness, and personal empowerment. He regularly works with corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion officers and LGBTQ affinity groups, as well as legal, clinical, medical, and direct service (including child welfare and faith leader) personnel.

This course meets the qualifications for (2.75) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.