Description:

In recent years, the majority of state legislatures in the United States have either proposed or passed laws affecting the lives of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth, with broad impacts ranging from the health care system to the school environment. This webinar will provide an overview of the current legislative and legal climate in the United States and abroad and how it is impacting TGD youth, their families, and their healthcare providers. We will highlight practical, gender-affirming approaches that pediatric psychologists can implement to support TGD youth and their families, regardless of their clinical area of focus, as well as strategies for providing support within professional and training environments

Speakers Biography

Dr. Kelly Donahue (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) and a licensed clinical psychologist working in the Division of Adolescent Medicine. She earned her PhD through the Clinical Science Program at Indiana University, completed her clinical internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Her primary clinical focus is providing psychological support services for gender-diverse children, adolescents, and young adults, and she serves as the Director of the Gender Health Program at Riley Hospital for Children.  Dr. Donahue is also the founding co-chair of the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.  

Dr. Jessica Bernacki (she/her) is a Staff Psychologist and the Director of Behavioral Health for the UCLA Gender Health Program. She is the founding psychologist for that program. Dr. Bernacki completed her doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, her pre-doctoral internship in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Dr. Bernacki provides consultation, assessment, and therapy to gender-diverse individuals of all ages. Her clinical interests include multidisciplinary gender-affirmative care with trans/gender-diverse youth, youth with differences in sex development/intersex traits, and providing evidence-based services in primary care settings. Dr. Bernacki is also a co-chair of the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group. 

Dr. Katelynn Boerner (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Developmental Pediatric at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, an Investigator with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and a registered psychologist practicing in the Complex Pain Service at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is also an Associate Faculty Member of the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity, the Women’s Health Research Institute, and the Academy of Translational Medicine. She completed her PhD at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, clinical residency at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and postdoctoral fellowships in psychiatry and pediatrics at BC Children’s Hospital. Her primary research interests are in addressing health equity for young people with chronic pain, with a particular focus on neurodiverse and gender-diverse youth. Dr. Boerner has published widely on the role of sex, gender, and development in pediatric pain, and is the current Research Chair for the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group. 

Dr. Claire Coyne (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Coyne received her PhD in Clinical Science from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University (2014), and her BA (2004) from the University of Chicago. She completed her pre-doctoral internship (2014) and post-doctoral fellowship (2015) in clinical and pediatric psychology at Lurie Children’s. Clinically, she provides consultation, assessment and evidence-based individual, family and group interventions for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth and their families. She also provides trauma-focused interventions for adolescents and young adults. Dr. Coyne’s research focuses on culturally-relevant adaptations of evidence-based interventions to address the unique mental health needs of TGD youth and their families.    Dr. Coyne is also the Case Presentation Chair of the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group. 

Dr. Christy L. Olezeski (she/her) is a child and adolescent clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics and the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine. She is also the co-founder and director of the Yale Pediatric Gender Program, an interdisciplinary program serving transgender and gender diverse individuals 3-25 and their families throughout the state of Connecticut and in 6 outside states. Along with providing comprehensive clinical care for transgender and gender diverse youth, Dr. Olezeski engages in mentorship, education and research. She has served as a member of the USA Volleyball Gender Committee since 2016 and is a co-chair of the Dean's Advisory council on LGBTQI affairs at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Olezeski is passionate about advocating for the rights of transgender youth, and the liberation of all individuals. 

Afiya Sajwani (they/them) is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Their research interests are in promoting positive mental and physical health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse youth. Clinically, they are interested in pediatric psychology. They currently serve as the student representative for the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.
 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Summarize the legislative and legal issues affecting TGD young people. 
2. Recognize the impact of the current sociopolitical environment on TGD youth, their families, and their healthcare providers. 
3. Develop a personal action plan for implementing practical strategies to support TGD youth and their families. 

Learning Level:

The content of this presentation is designed to apply broadly, with applicability across beginner to advanced learning levels

Conflicts of Interest:

Dr. Boerner has a small private practice as a registered psychologist and holds current research grants (as PI/co-PI) from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the Laurel Foundation.  

Dr. Bernacki has a private practice as a licensed psychologist in California. She has no other disclosures to add. 

Remaining presenters (Donahue, Coyne, Olezeski, Sajwani) have no conflicts of interest to report. 

CE

Participants of this webinar will receive 1.5 CE credits.

The Society of Pediatric Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Society of Pediatric Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.