Training

Join us for an insightful panel discussion that delves into the unique experiences of the LGBTQ+ community in accessing behavioral health resources. Our diverse panel of speakers will share personal stories, challenges, and triumphs, shedding light on the intersections of identity and mental health. From overcoming barriers to finding affirming care, we'll explore the diverse journeys within the LGBTQ+ community.

We will also present additional resources available for providers to enhance their understanding of LGBTQ+ mental health needs, fostering a more inclusive and affirming practice. For everyone from behavioral health professionals eager to improve your cultural humility to community members interested in expanding their knowledge, this panel promises valuable insights and resources for everyone. Join us in fostering a more inclusive and supportive behavioral health landscape for all.

To watch the archived presentation of Session 6, click here.

Overview: In this session, participants will explore the concept of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and its importance for the LGBTQ+ community, who face potentially traumatic experiences such as discrimination, violence, and rejection. This session aims to equip attendees with foundational knowledge and skills. Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of stress, trauma, and mental health. They will learn a framework for how to incorporate Trauma-Informed Care principles into both personal and professional practice. And they will discover strategies and tips for taking a trauma-informed approach to daily life. Join us to learn more!

About Teale Greylord:Teale Greylord has spent her entire career supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within local communities throughout Wisconsin. For 10 years she was a Health Educator and specialized in working with communities from diverse racial/ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. She is also a storyteller and researcher, and has a background in violence, trauma, addiction, and mental health. Her approach to the work is to empower people by recognizing that they are the experts of their own health experience. She also builds capacity through collaboration and tailoring systems-change to meet local context. She holds a Master of Public Health degree in health equity and consults as a public health trainer. In her personal life, she loves new experiences, gardening, cooking, reading, hiking, practicing mindful self-compassion, and drinking tea.

To watch the archived presentation of Session 4, click here.

Overview: Trans and nonbinary people experience more Adverse Childhood Experiences than their non-trans peers. Even without additional considerations of the current anti-trans political climate or adult trauma, high ACE scores contribute to the already barrier-laden mental health challenges of trans adolescents and adults. This webinar will introduce the ACE studies to those who are not yet familiar, review trans-specific experiences that may help explain trans people’s higher ACE scores, and delineate some strategies for helping to address these disparities. Attendees will leave with practical action steps that will reduce barriers to care and improve the lives of trans people.

About Michael Munson: Michael Munson is the co-founder and Executive Director of FORGE, an organization focused on improving the lives of transgender individuals by building stronger connections, providing resources, and empowering growth through knowledge. FORGE is a national training and technical assistance provider funded in part through the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office of Justice Programs: Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Office on Violence Against Women, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health Services. Munson's educational background is in psychology, with an emphasis on trauma-informed care and non-traditional healing modalities.

To watch the archived presentation of Session 3, click here.

Overview: For over two decades, the minority stress model has guided research on the health of sexually diverse individuals (those who are not exclusively heterosexual) and gender-diverse individuals (those whose gender identity/expression differs from their birth-assigned sex/gender). According to this model, the cumulative stress caused by stigma and social marginalization fosters stress-related health problems.

Yet studies linking minority stress to physical health outcomes have yielded mixed results, suggesting that something is missing from our understanding of stigma and health. Social safety may be the missing piece. Social safety refers to reliable social connection, inclusion, and protection, which are core human needs that are imperiled by stigma. The absence of social safety is just as health-consequential for stigmatized individuals as the presence of minority stress, because the chronic threat-vigilance fostered by insufficient safety has negative long-term effects on cognitive, emotional, and immunological functioning, even when exposure to minority stress is low. We argue that insufficient social safety is a primary cause of stigma-related health disparities and a key target for intervention.

About Lisa Diamond, Ph.D.: Lisa M. Diamond (she/her) is Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Utah, and president-elect of the International Academy for Sex Research. For nearly three decades, she has studied the development and expression of gender and sexuality across the life course. Her current work focuses on the biobehavioral mechanisms through which social stigma, social stress, and social safety shape the health and well-being of sexually-diverse and gender-diverse individuals at different stages of development. Dr. Diamond is best known for her research on sexual fluidity, which describes the capacity for individuals to experience unexpected shifts in sexual identity and expression over time.

To watch the archived presentation of Session 2, click here.

Overview: With the growing presence of the LGBTQ+ community in Wisconsin, it is important to understand how to respectfully engage and support members of the LGBTQ+ community in today’s social and political climate. In this presentation we will cover aspects of LGBTQ+ community history, national and state level statistics, an overview of language and terminology, and action steps on using pronouns and gendered language. It will conclude with an overview of the upcoming sessions in the series.

To watch the archived presentation of Session 1, click here.

About Charlie Leonard: Charlie Leonard (they/she) is a queer transgender individual with a passion for advocacy and education on LGBTQ+ issues surrounding community wellness and substance misuse. They currently work for Community Advocates coordinating the City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, which focuses on tobacco related disparities in the LGBTQ+ community. They also have an active role in coordinating wellness vendors and resources for LGBTQ+ community members for the annual Pridefest celebrations each year during June in Milwaukee. They graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor's degree in Sustainability - Urban Dynamics in December 2019 and have been serving in this role for over two years.