Friday, November 15, 2019
2019 GVPA Annual Convention
Co-Sponsored by St. John Fisher College, Wegmans School of Nursing
Theme: Meeting the needs of a gender-expansive community: the role of mental health providers
Date: Friday, November 15, 2019
Time: 8:30am - 5:00pm
Where: St. John Fisher College, Wegman's School of Nursing | 3690 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14618
Gender Identity is at the core of how we experience ourselves individually and in relationship with others. Previous and outdated models of this fundamental form of self-definition have depicted gender identity as a binary concept. That is, an “either/or” model of being male or female. Increasingly, the reality of a more fluid concept of gender identity has emerged, and with it more and more youth and others across the lifespan are emerging with the desire to explore and express their authentic selves in the contexts of their families, relationships, school and work settings and communities. Questions of how to best understand, assess, serve and support our patients who are experiencing personal or interpersonal distress (and too often violence and trauma) have moved to the forefront of our fields. In order to respond professionally and therapeutically, we need to be knowledgeable about the myriad of issues that patients of transgender experience face.
Our 2019 GVPA Convention program will provide a framework for building a base of knowledge in a number of areas including : an updated model that includes greater breadth of the concept of gender identity, respectful approaches in the assessment and treatment of patients from a biopsychosocial perspective, specific practices for intervention at developmental stages ranging from pre-puberty through adulthood, issues of comorbidity, and group and individual therapy models for children and adults. Throughout the talks, speakers will share their knowledge of state and local initiatives in the care and treatment of this population, including legal and civil rights. At the conclusion of our program, a panel of transgender members of the Rochester community will provide a personal perspective on their journeys with an opportunity for questions.
The GVPA program committee chose Meeting the Needs of a Gender Expansive Community as the theme for the 2019 Convention to address this growing need for knowledge. We hope you can join us for this important day of learning and building community.
The program:
8:15 - 8:45 am - Registration and breakfast
8:45 - 9:00 am - Opening remarks
9:00 - 10:30 am - Scott Leibowitz, MD. Keynote Speaker
Today's "Genderation" of Youth: The Affirming, Balanced, Comprehensive, and Developmentally-Informed Approach to Children and Adolescents
Dr. Leibowitz is the Medical Director of Behavioral Health Services for the THRIVE gender and sex development program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. He is also the associate professor of Psychiatry at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is currently the co-chairperson of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues Committee for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and is the lead trainer for childhood and adolescence for the World Professional Association of Transgender Health's Global Education Initiative.
He will launch the 2019 GVPA Convention with an overview of gender diversity in children and adolescents in clinical practice. Having been a part of three different gender identity clinics in children's' hospitals: the first multidisciplinary gender program in the United States at Boston Children’s Hospital, then Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and now Nationwide Children's, he will talk about how different models of assessment affect the delivery of clinical care. Dr. Leibowitz will highlight the various ethical dilemmas that exist as they pertain to the assessment and treatment of these patients and their families. The discussion will include exploration of the increasing role that Physicians, Nurses, Psychologists, Mental Health Counselors, Social Workers, and Family therapists are playing in school, work, and family contexts.
10:45 - 12:00 pm - Katherine Greenberg, MD
Creating a Gender Affirming Practice for Children and Adolescents
Dr. Greenberg is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She is the director of the adolescent medicine Gender Health Services program at UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital. She has specialties in the areas of health care for transgender youth and young adults, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, family planning, and general adolescent health care. She conducts research and training with medical students and post-doctoral students. Dr. Greenberg’s presentation will work through common cases in pediatric and adolescent gender health, including a review of best medical practices available to patients at various physical developmental stages.
12:00pm - 1:00 pm - Lunch
1:00 - 2:15 pm - Jeff Dulko, Ph.D., and Jacob Abraham, LMSW
Practice Considerations for Gender Expansive Patients
Jeffrey Dulko, Ph.D., CRC, is currently a Licensed Psychologist in private practice and the Manager of Behavioral Health at Trillium Health in Rochester, NY focusing on the LGBTQIA2+, gender non-conforming, trauma, and economically disadvantaged populations. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from West Virginia University and his M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from New York University. He has been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor for the past 29 years and is a member of the Monroe County Reentry Task Force. Dr. Dulko has made national presentations on such topics as individual and group counseling and psychotherapy, emotional intelligence, program coordination, vocational evaluation, supervision, supported employment, multicultural issues, and professional ethics. Additionally, he has been an undergraduate and graduate adjunct instructor at RIT, the University at Buffalo and West Virginia University.
Jacob Abraham, LMSW, is currently employed with Trillium Health as a Behavioral Health counselor. He received his undergraduate degree from Keuka College and completed his master’s degree at the University at Buffalo. Jacob has presented on numerous topics related to LGBTQ+ wellness including transitioning in college, mental health and trauma of the LGBTQ+ community, Safe Zone training, and the importance of honoring intersections of identity. Jacob has experience completing support letters for gender-affirming surgery and has expertise in working with LGBTQ+ clients in individual and group settings.
Current issues and trends in offering psychotherapy for the “treatment” of gender dysphoria will be discussed with particular attention to the unique and evolving concerns of this population. Therapeutic approaches that offer a developmental and supportive framework are encouraged. Many individuals seek assistance with gender-affirming support letters, and expectations and guidelines for letters will be provided in the context of an assessment that supports self-determination. Comorbidity with ASD and trauma is higher in this population which is further complicated by ongoing potential abuse and threats. As a result, suicide ideation will need to be managed with sensitivity to the need for coping long term with negative pressures. Intersectionality of multicultural factors among the transgender and gender non-conforming communities will be highlighted as well as the “Therapist Top 10 FAQs.” Implications of working within the community as a therapist who is transgender will be shared.
2:15 - 3:30 pm - Emma Forbes Jones, Ph.D.
Quieting the Noise: Treatment Approaches to Gender Dysphoria
Emma Forbes-Jones, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Rochester, NY and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Rochester in 2003 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2004. It was during this fellowship when she first began working with gender expansive youth and their families. Currently, the majority of her private practice clients are gender-expansive people who range in age from 3-81. She is a member of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health.
3:45 - 4:45 pm - Panel: Voices of the Community
The goals of this panel presentation are: to broaden participant’s understanding of transgender, non-binary and gender expansive identities; to increase awareness of barriers to care by hearing personal experiences from our panelists, both positive and negative, in healthcare, mental health agencies, corporations, schools and campuses; and to offer best practice tips for creating more inclusive environments in our schools and workplaces. Trans identified LGBTQ Academy Speakers Bureau members will share their personal experiences and encourage participants to ask questions and dialogue in a safe and respectful environment.
4:45 pm - Wrap up
Ticket Prices
| Pricing** | Early Bird (by October 25th) | Regular Registration |
| GVPA Member | $75 ($100)** | $80 ($105)** |
| Non-GVPA Member | $80 ($105)** | $85 ($110)** |
| Students | $40 | $45 |
**If opting for CE credits – add $25 to registration price – FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS ONLY
- CE credits only for licensed clinical psychologists.
- CE credits can be used by licensed clinical psychologists working within affiliated medical/academic settings that require CEs.
- CE credits will be required for all clinical psychologists in NY State starting in 2021.
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