TRAINING SERIES
Monterey County Rainbow Connections Provider Training
Supporting Families Through the Gender Journey
3 CE’s Available
The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Families play a critical role in the well-being of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth. Yet, many parents struggle with fear, uncertainty, grief, and societal pressures as they navigate their child’s gender journey. As mental health and medical providers, we have the opportunity to help families build resilience, strengthen relationships, and foster affirming environments.
This interactive 3-hour workshop is designed to equip providers with the knowledge, strategies, and clinical tools needed to support parents and caregivers, especially those struggling with affirming their child, as they navigate the complexities of gender identity.
We’re going to talk about…
- Understanding Parental Struggles – Explore common fears, concerns, and emotional responses parents experience and learn how to meet them with empathy and evidence-based guidance.
- Family Dynamics & Gender Affirmation – Examine how gender diversity impacts family systems and identify ways to foster family cohesion and acceptance.
- Addressing Resistance & Ambivalence – Learn effective approaches to engage parents who may be struggling with acceptance, helping them shift from fear to understanding and support.
- Navigating Misinformation & Societal Pressures – Equip families with tools to counter misinformation and cope with external challenges such as unsupportive relatives, schools, and communities.
- Clinical Strategies for Family Support – Gain practical techniques for facilitating parent education, processing grief, and fostering resilience, including coaching frameworks and therapeutic interventions.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the stages of the parental gender journey based on the TransFamily Alliance model and explain the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral challenges parents may experience.
- Identify at least three common fears, misconceptions, and societal pressures that impact parents’ ability to support their gender-diverse children.
- Assess the role of family dynamics in shaping parental responses to a child’s gender identity, including sibling and extended family influences.
- Apply evidence-based communication and psychoeducation strategies to help parents navigate resistance, misinformation, and grief in a clinical or medical setting.
- Demonstrate effective techniques for guiding parents toward affirming home environments and advocacy, including tools for addressing external challenges such as schools and medical decisions.
- Utilize at least three clinical or coaching interventions to support parents in strengthening their relationships with their gender-diverse child and fostering resilience within the family system.
This interactive 3-hour workshop is designed to equip providers with the knowledge, strategies, and clinical tools needed to support parents and caregivers, especially those struggling with affirming their child, as they navigate the complexities of gender identity.
3 CE Credits available
Course Curriculum
CE credits are free for providers working in Monterey, San Benito, or Santa Cruz County.
For providers outside these counties, CE credits are available for $45.
Supporting Families Through the Gender Journey
Free Access
- Webinar Recording
- Webinar Slides Post-webinar
- Quiz (required to get CE's)
- Evaluation
- Certificate (3 CE's) - Free for Monterey, San Benito, or Santa Cruz County
Presenters
Jen Hastings
Jen Hastings, MD (jen/jen) Board Certified in Family Medicine, has been providing transgender health care for many years. Dr Jen is part of Ibis Reproductive Health, a research group studying the reproductive needs and experiences of transgender and gender expansive people in the US, and a national consultant and educator on transgender healthcare, increasing medical access and understanding. Jen is also an abortion provider with Aria Medical Group. In Santa Cruz, Jen is the physician consultant with SafeRx and the Health Improvement Partnership, working with Opioid Safety, Behavioral Health integration, Trauma Informed Care and Mindfulness in Medicine.
Shawn V Giammattei, PhD
Shawn V. Giammattei, PhD is a clinical psychologist & WPATH certified member/mentor, specializing in couple & family therapy with a particular focus on trans youth and their families. He is the founder & CEO of the Gender Health Training Institute & TransFamily Alliance, a research consultant, international speaker, community educator, and professor teaching graduate and post-graduate courses in LGBTQ psychology, family systems, and gender affirming care, as well as the author of several articles and book chapters on gender, sexuality, and family work.
Juliette Greenham
Mexican writer, former strategy director at international organizations and DEI expert at Gender Health Training Institute. Juliette is coaching the most important organizations in Latin America to change their culture towards trans inclusivity, implementing solid policies and procedures. Juliette helps trans families in their Gender Journey, translating gender-affirming care to the Latin American culture, helping families understand it and remove cultural obstacles so they can flow and be at peace with the process.
The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
