LGBTQ+ Youth: A Year of Trauma and Resilience

The pandemic, social and racial issues, and an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ measures sweeping through state legislatures across the country is having a profound impact on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth.  According to the Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.

Moderated by KGO ABC7 San Francisco, this expert panel discusses what this environment looks like for LGBTGEQIAP+ youth – and what can be done moving forward to ensure this population has the support and resilience tools they need from their families, schools, and communities. This webinar is part of Palo Alto University’s “At the Forefront of Mental Health” series.

The panel features: 

• Clark Ausloos, PhD, LPC, Visiting Professor, Palo Alto University, awarded the Counselor of the Year Award by the Ohio Counseling Association.  Dr. Ausloos Clark works with youth, adolescents and young adults dealing with sexual and gender identity.

•  Em Matsuno – a post-doctoral fellow at Palo Alto University whose intervention research focuses on the support of trans individuals, minority stress and resilience among trans and non-binary people, parents of trans youth, and trans and non-binary graduate students.  His recent article on “How Parents Can Support Their Trans Kids” appeared in Yes Magazine.

• Dr. Christie Jenkins, PhD, LPCC-S President-Elect of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender-Expansive Identities (SAIGE), a division of the American Counseling Association.