Self Paced DSM, Gender Dysphoria, & LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy

This self-paced course awards 6 cultural competency CEUs.

This Continuing Education presentation reviews the contentious history between the DSM and the LGBTQ+ community including the history of conceptualizing ‘homosexuality’ as a mental health disorder to the current publication of the DSM-5-TR and it’s inclusion of the diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria.  Presentation will review the current diagnostic criteria and case examples of Gender Dysphoria in children and adults.  Presentation will then transition to a review of LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy as the evidenced-based, culturally responsive approach to practice with individuals and families from the LGBTQ+ community.  Presentation will include practice activities and interventions for clinical practice. 

Upon concluding this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the APA’s history of pathologizing LGBTQ+ identities
• List the current diagnostic criteria for Gender Dysphoria from the DSM-5-TR
• Differentiate the LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy approach from non-affirming approaches
• Apply an LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy approach with individuals and families in a clinical context 

Steven L. Parks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Approved Supervisor and serves in the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work as a full-time clinical Lecturing Faculty professor.   Steven is a Registered Play Therapist & Supervisor (RPT-S) and training director of the A Time for Play | Play Therapy training series based in Houston, TX.  He also maintains a small private practice in Sugar Land, Texas and specializes in working with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing trauma symptoms, depression, anxiety, and externalizing behaviors. He is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), Trauma & Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (TGCT-A). Steven has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree of Psychology from Texas Tech University, a Master’s of Business Administration degree from University of Houston Bauer College of Business, and a Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.  Steven volunteers regularly with the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and with the various LGBTQ+ Community Organizations.