Minnesota's LGBTQ+ Mental Health Providers' Professional Network

        

Volume II, Issue 14

The Network: The MN LGBTQA Therapists eNewsletter
7.7.09                                                              

Invitation

Members are invited to submit notices & announcements!
Do you run a Group? Or know of an upcoming workshop or event for our clients or us? Know something that other QLGBTA mental health professionals may also want to know? Please submit it for the next eNewsletter! See end of eNewsletter for details.

About This eNewsletter

The Minnesota LGBT Therapists eNewsletter is a free networking tool for members of the LGBT Therapists network. All network members are welcome to contribute to this grassroots bi-weekly eNewsletter. Just send your referral question, announcement, member accomplishment, space available information, event, conference, workshop, group information, or other pertinent notice to enews@LGBTtherapists.org. The LGBT Therapists eNewsletter is sent out every second Tuesday of the month.  All responses to questions, ads, workshops, etc. should be emailed directly back to the contact person in the notice. If you want your name added or deleted from the eNewsletter email list, use the links below.  Please note that if you do decide to delete your email, you will no longer receive general LGBT Therapists network communications, such as event announcements. If you want to become a member of this organization please visit the LGBT Therapists website.

Thank you! Irene Greene, Minnesota's LGBT Therapists eNewsletter Coordinator


                       
Welcome to the MN LGBTQA Therapists eNewsletter of "The Network." The Network is a MN based grass-roots group of queer & allied mental health therapists, students in mental health related fields, and community mental-health related agencies. Our group shares information and resources that impact our varied work in the mental health fields and that is unique to the particular needs of the LGBTQ communities we live in and serve. We welcome submissions to this eNewsletter that are pertinent to mental health and LGBTQ issues !

What's Up with The Network?

  • Happenings of the Network
  • Network Steering Committee Update
  • Groups Offered
  • Related to Therapists
  • Conferences & Workshops
  • Upcoming Events
  • LGBT News Bits
  • Office Space For Rent
  • 2010 Conference Notes
  • Quote of the Day
  • NEXT ISSUE: Don't by shy! MEMBER NEWS UPDATES!  Are you doing a group or a workshop? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Get free publicity here! Submissions due by: Fri., 7/17.

Advertise your business in this eNewsletter! It is a perk of your paid membership. Send us your contact info and client populations & see it printed in the next eNewsletter on Tuesday, 7/21.
This eNewsletter reaches over 115 psychotherapists and organizations, and is growing every week!  Become a member! YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF ON OUR WEB!

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: www.LGBTtherapists.org

Happenings of "THE NETWORK"!

I.  The first MN.LGBT Therapist Network Booth at PRIDE 2009 was a big hit!
We had dozens of visitors to our Booth and they asked referral questions, picked up business cards, and were glad to hear we existed. Thank you to everyone who signed up to staff the Pride booth! Special thanks to Owen, Irene and Dennis for your help. We will definately be doing it again next year.

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU RECEIVE ANY CLIENT CALLS AS A RESULT OF THE BOOTH.

II. Do you have a LGBTQ mental health topic that is on the edge or of interest to our peers and allies? Wanta talk about it?
Present at the LGBTQ Mental Health Issues MIDWEST Conference at UM! 
March 26, 2010!
PROPOSAL FORMS ARE  NOW AVAILABLE!

Do you want to present a workshop or facilitate a panel at the Conference or know someone in the country or world who would? Workshop Proposal Applications are NOW available for download at our website:
www.lgbttherapists.org
Proposal due date is October 15, 2009


Conference Date: Friday, March 26, 2010
Title: "Beyond the Boxes: Emerging Trends in LGBTQ Mental Health"
Location: Coffman Memorial Union, Third Floor, UM-Minneapolis Campus
Three Tracks: clinical, research, community

MN.LGBT Therapists' Network is in collaboration with the GLBTA Programs Office at the University of Minnesota to co-spnsor an all-day midwest conference on LGBTQ mental health issues. Planning has begun and your participation will help guarantee a successful conference.

This one-day conference, which will be held at the UM in Spring 2010, will be open to mental health professionals and students in the mental health fields.

"The Network":
Steering Committee Meeting this Friday, July 10 at UM:

All members are welcome to join the steering committee or Conference Planning sub-committees or come to meetings!  We need help and ideas!

Next Steering Committee Meeting/Conference Planning Meeting:  (NOTE MEETING PLACE/TIME CHANGE)
DATE: Friday, July 10, 2009
TIME: 1130-1pm (lunch provided by GLBT Programs Office)
PLACE: The University of Minnesota, Coffman Memorial Union, Third Floor, Minneapolis 
 
Steering Committee Agenda: (First part: Conference Planning Committee Mtg. The last 1/2 hour: The Network Steering Committee Business mtg):
1130-1pm: UM/Network Conference Committee Planning Meeting. Lunch provided by UM GLBT Programs Office. RSVP to Anne Phibbs <phib0001@umn.edu >
100-1:30: The Network Business Meeting: Review PRIDE Booth; Plan Fall Program.

Contact Irene @ irenegreene@earthlink.net or 612.874.6442 if you would like information about any of these above activities and/or to help.
The Network Steering Committee:  Dennis Christian, Mindy Benowitz, Phil Oxman, Owen Konecnik, Bonnie Berg, & Irene Greene.

www.LGBTtherapists.org
Check out our website:www.LGBTtherapists.org  
Find your information and check out other therapists' information.

 

Groups Offered:

(1) Therapy Group for Gay Men 50+: (new)
I am starting a weekly open-ended therapy group for gay men who are 50+ years old. I have 30 years experience with groups, including 13 years with gay men's groups.
 
As this will be a therapy group, I am open to diagnosis and my groups tend to run the gamut from low to very high functioning men. I accept many insurance plans.
 
I feel that there are many challenges for gay men as they age. This is true for everyone but as Edmond White wrote, "Gay men have the longest old age of any human as it begins around forty." Issues around attractiveness, substance abuse (especially alcohol), sexuality (including compulsive sexuality), loneliness, satisfaction with partners, fear of losing independence, etc. all have some special meanings for mature gay men.
 
The group will meet on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. I am limiting the group to seven men. Membership will require a one hour meeting with me to determine mutual appropriateness. The group will begin on Saturday, August 8, 2009. The fee is $70 per session and the intake is $150. For people with insurance problems, I'm saving a couple of sliding fee seats.
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 612-990-0649. Thank you for your consideration of referrals.
Steve Burns, Ph.D., L.P.
Northland Therapy Center
2324 University Ave. West
Saint Paul, MN  55114
<burnsphd@comcast.net >

(2) Process Group for Partners & Spouses of Transgender Individuals: (new)

We are offering a new 12-week therapy process group for partners and spouses of transgender individuals. This group will provide a supportive environment for partners to talk about the changes experienced in their primary relationship with a transgender person. These changes are often experienced in isolation, making it difficult
for partners to acknowledge, express, and understand their feelings. Join others to talk about and share these common experiences.

Initial intake appointment needed prior to group participation.

Tuesdays, 5:30 - 7 pm
September 15 - December 1, 2009
Medical Arts Building, Suite 1655
825 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN  55402
Insurance accepted.
Facilitators: Lisa M. Chase, LICSW at 651-278-5370
 & Linda H. Reiss, MA, LP at 612-296-6585

(3) A Circle of Women Therapy Group: (new)
The group will gather around issues common to women's lives such as relationships, identity, self-esteem, work and family.
2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month: 830-1030am.
Starts in the fall.
Location: Green Lotus Yoga & Healing Center, Lakeville.
 Facilitated by: Kris Loestner, LICSW & Jennifer Pearson, LMFT
Cost: $75/group. Some insurance reimbursement
www.lakewoodcounseling.com
FFI: Kris or Jenny at 612.798.7373 ext. 12 or ext. 15

(4) Transgender Therapeutic Support Group: (new)
Announcing a new therapeutic support group for adults identifying as or questioning identities on the transgender spectrum.

Tuesdays 6:30-8:00pm
            Sexual Health Institute
                 1409 Willow St. Ste. 400       
                 Minneapolis, MN 55403
            http://www.sexualhealthinstitute.org/
                
Facilitator:         Xavier Schmitz, MSW, LICSW
Fee:             $30 per group
(Free screening interview and 5 session commitment required.)

To Register:     Contact Xavier Schmitz, MSW, LICSW
             612 872-1500
             xavier@sexualhealthinstitute.org
(5) Sexual Abuse Therapy Group for Women:
Therapy group for survivors of childhood and/or young adult sexual abuse or trauma. This group for high-functioning women offers: opportunities for sharing abuse stories; explores the impact of abuse on self-esteem, relationships, & sexuality; explores strategies to deal with intrusive memories, feelings of anger, shame and self-hate; and explores family of origin issues, current life needs and issues, and self-care.
Group meets Tuesdays, 415-545
Co-leaders: Mindy Benowitz, PhD., L.P. & Irene Greene, MSEd.  20 years experience working together
100 West Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN  55404
For more information: Mindy: 612.870.0398 or Irene: 612.874.6442
Most insurance accepted.

Related to Therapists:

Are you a therapist who identifies herself as lesbian?
Research Participants Needed for Study!
Are you a therapist who identifies herself as lesbian?  You are invited to participate in a study on the decision making process of lesbian therapists disclosure of sexual orientation.  My name is Michelle Mongeon, and I am a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University.  I am conducting this study to fulfill the requirements for completion of my degree.  Engaging in this study involves one interview that will take approximately one or two hours. 

The results of this study will hopefully assist therapists to better understand the decision making process of self-disclosure in regard to sexual orientation.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this study.  You may contact me, Michelle Mongeon, at (218) 230-3431, or by email at mmongeon@msp.stu.argosy.edu .  You may contact my chair, Hideko Sera, at (651) 846-3569, or by email at hisera@argosy.edu .

Conferences & Workshops:

(1) Social and Emotional Health for All Young People: Expanding Approaches

Summer Institute in Adolescent Health
University of Minnesota
July 27-July 29
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
http://www.nursing.umn.edu/Adolescent_Nursing/Continuing_Education/home.html

(2) Working with the Gay Sex-offender
One day intensive July 28, 8:30am-3:30pm
(pre-register by July 13)
PRESENTER: WESTON EDWARDS, PHD, LP
co-sponsored with Alpha Human Services
www.pride-institute.com
www. alphaservices.org
CONTENT:
This workshop will explore treatment issues unique to the gay sex offender client. This workshop will examine cultural values within the gay culture, identify how these values shape identity, contribute to acting out behaviors, and shape healthy sexual behaviors. Speci‑c topics such public sex, stages of identity, sexual partners, and HIV prevention will be addressed. Topics relevant to ongoing sexual health will be addressed. Participants will be encouraged to bring questions, experiences and additional resources.
GOALS and OBJECTIVES:
· Identify treatment issues and corresponding plans that are unique to the gay client.
· Identify three barriers and corresponding plans to sexual health for the gay client.
· Identify three resources that can be helpful in working with gay clients.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
· Probation Officers, County Dispositional Advisors and other County Staff
· Treatment Providers
· Referral Agents
· DOC Staff and other Parole staff.
· Judges, Attorneys and Court Staff
Held at Pride Institute's Outpatient Center, 2110 Lyndate Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405
To register please contact Lindsey Tinucci at (952) 934-7554 ext 124 or by email at lindsey.tinucci@pride-institute.com
COST FOR COURSE: $125 (for registration after 7/13)
Includes 6 CEU Credits
(Board approval applied for LADC*, LMFT,
LP, RN* and LICSW)
Lunch, snacks and beverages provided
*Designed to meet cultural diversity requirement.
SAVE $25- register by 7/13/09.

This conference will be big!!!

"The Network" & UM's GLBTA Program's Office Official Conference Announcement &
Call for Workshop Proposals!!!



Please Distribute & Post and Cut and Paste...Send to your colleagues (queer and straight)...from near and far. We have already received proposal inquiries from three other states!


"Beyond the Boxes: Emerging Trends in LGBTQ Mental Health: A Regional Conference on Mental Health Topics as They Relate to the LGBTQ Communities"

Friday, March 26, 2010
Presented by:
The Minnesota LGBT Therapists' Network &
The GLBTA Programs Office of the University of Minnesota
Held at the University of MN - Coffman Memorial Union

The proposal deadline is October 15, 2009. Proposals available online. See info below.

General Information:
This cutting edge conference will offer over 40 workshops that will
explore changing paradigms in research and clinical practice as they
relate to our understandings of diverse sexual and gender identities, as well as to issues of race, class, ability and sexual practices. This one day conference is committed to challenging stereotypes and bias, providing current mental health information, expanding perspectives, and engaging participants in the areas of clinical work, research and community involvement. This conference will be of particular interest to mental health professionals, health care practitioners, researchers in the health sciences, educators, and students in these fields and is open to any and all interested lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer and allied individuals. CEUs in these fields will be available.

Keynote Speaker:
Katherine "Kit" Rachlin, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in New York
and a certified sex therapist. She is an experienced clinician as well
as an energetic advocate for transgender people, their families and
partners. Kit has served on the board of directors of organizations such as FTM-International and The Harry Benjamin Association/World Professional Association for Transgender Health. A member of the American Psychological Association's Taskforce on Gender Identity, she is the author of many published papers and book chapters on transgender health and well being.

Download a Workshop Proposal (PDF) at either website:
MN LGBT Therapist Network at www.lgbttherapists.org
University of MN GLBTA Programs Office at www.glbta.umn.edu

Or contact Bonnie Burg, Conference Program Committee Chair & she will send you one:  651.647.4412

For General Conference Information:
Email: mnlgbtqconference2010@gmail.com
(1) Conference Co-Chair - MN.LGBT Therapist Network:
Irene Greene, 612.874.6442 irenegreene@earthlink.net
(2) Conference Co-Chair - University of Minnesota GLBTA Programs Office:  Anne Phibbs, Director, 612.625.8519 phib0001@umn.edu

Upcoming Events:
(events for us or our clients)

(1) MN Organizing Mtg for Nat'l LGBT Equal Rights March, (October 11, 2009):
THIS TUESDAY, July 7, 7pm
Grace-Trinity Community Church Meeting Room
1430 W. 28th St., Minneapolis (Just off Hennepin Ave. in Uptown)
Contact: Dan @ 617-599-3026 for more details

"You are never given power - you have to take it." - Harvey Milk
NATIONAL MARCH FOR LGBT EQUAL RIGHTS
Sunday, October 11, 2009, Washington D.C.
http://www.nationalequalitymarch.com
(plus a local solidarity demonstration in the Twin Cities)

On Sunday, October 11, hundreds of thousands of supporters of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people will march on Washington, D.C. with one simple demand for the White House and Congress: EQUAL RIGHTS NOW.

While President Obama made numerous promises on gay rights during his campaign, he has yet to act on most of them. We can't wait for rights to be handed to us. Like every civil rights movement in the past, it's OUR job to put pressure on the politicians to end all discriminatory laws.

Like the protests on November 15 against Proposition 8, this is an entirely grassroots effort, not being led by any of the major gay rights organizations. So we need your help to organize buses from the Twin Cities to D.C., and build for a solidarity demonstration here as well!

Next Organizing Meeting:
Tuesday, July 7, 7pm
Grace-Trinity Community Church Meeting Room
1430 W. 28th St., Minneapolis (Just off Hennepin Ave. in Uptown)
Contact: Dan @ 617-599-3026 for more details

To endorse, donate, or get more info on the march and how you can get
involved, contact: jointheimpacttc@gmail.com
http://www.jointheimpacttc.com
Sponsored by Join the Impact - Twin CitiesMN

(2) Counseling Association Annual Retreat
The Minnesota Counseling Association (MnCA) Annual Retreat will be on 07/25/09 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Woodbury.  It has been an exciting year for counselors! If you are interested in coming, please
send me an e-mail to RSVP to Bles1003@gmail.com .
Blanca Svedberg, M.Ed., LPC
MnCA - President Elect
--<mncounseling@gmail.com >
This message sent by the Minnesota Counseling Association.
Join MNCA at http://mncounseling.org .

(3) Rainbow Families Camps:

Registration Open!
Alexandria, MN - July 10-13 & July 16-19

This year marks the 10th annual Rainbow Families Camps, which feature all your family's favorites: family meals, campfires, crafts, swimming, games and the annual family talent show. Registration is now open, so click here to get started. Questions? Contact Abby Riskin at abby.riskin@familyequality.org or at 651-644-4848.

LGBT News Bits:

New Protections for Transgender Federal Workers
By JIM RUTENBERG nytimes.com
Published: June 23, 2009
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for President Obama are quietly drafting first-of-their kind guidelines barring workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees, officials said Tuesday.
The guidelines will be in an updated federal handbook for managers and supervisors to be distributed and posted online in the next couple of months, and they could also be included in other materials for managers. They will list transgender people - those who identify their gender differently from the information on their birth certificates - as among several groups protected by antidiscrimination laws.
Though transgender men and women are not believed to make up more than a fraction of a percent of the federal work force, their inclusion in the discrimination guidelines is seen as a breakthrough by transgender and gay rights advocates.
"The president is making a very clear statement that transgender people won't be discriminated against," said Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, a group that has been talking with the White House about the new provisions.
The provisions will help give transgender workers avenues within the federal government to protest a job action as discriminatory, though Ms. Keisling added, "There is also a very important symbolic value to that, from our point of view."
The rules are almost certain to stoke criticism from cultural conservatives already displeased with Mr. Obama's stand on gay rights, abortion and stem cell research.
The White House has not done much to advertise the provisions, which are being written along with the new same-sex domestic partnership benefits Mr. Obama announced last week for federal workers.
That announcement drew criticism from several organizations representing gay men and lesbians. The groups complained that the benefits - including some sick leave provisions and housing allocations for certain employees - were too limited and said that Mr. Obama was letting his desire to avoid battles over social issues trump campaign promises.
The administration's plan to draft a policy explicitly warning federal supervisors about discrimination against transgender employees was lost in the criticism, and Mr. Obama did not outline it in last week's announcement.
John Berry, the director of the federal agency in charge of such workplace issues, the Office of Personnel Management, said in an interview on Tuesday that the administration was not trying to hide its work on the new provisions. Mr. Berry noted that he had mentioned them last week at a news briefing about the president's same-sex benefits plan, though it came up only briefly in a discussion that mostly focused on the complaints.
"There's been no attempt to hide anything or be coy," he said.
Mr. Berry, the administration's highest-ranking openly gay official, said he had been an early advocate for the new protections for transgender workers.
"I was aware coming into this job that this was a class of people for whom it was not clear that they were protected from discrimination," he said, "and I thought it was an opportunity to clarify that."
The guidelines will further interpret a section of the civil service law that broadly bars federal supervisors from taking any action against an employee based on anything other than job performance.
Guidelines for federal supervisors already ban them from taking any job action "against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status or political affiliation."
An executive order signed by President Bill Clinton in 1998 added sexual orientation to that list of categories. Mr. Berry said the new guidelines would add gender identity as well.
Mr. Berry said he had no estimate for just how many federal employees would consider themselves to be transgender. "In our own agency we have transgender individuals," he said. "I know they are present in the federal work force, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity."
The Library of Congress recently lost a discrimination case after it rescinded its hiring of a former Army Special Forces commander, David Schroer, as a terrorism analyst upon learning he was undergoing a sex change. The library said it was concerned that the former commander - now Diane Schroer - would be unable to qualify for vital security clearances in a timely fashion. In April, a federal judge awarded Ms. Schroer nearly $500,000 in lost pay and damages.
While that case involved Congress, the new guidelines would presumably give any federal employee in a similar situation further recourse to file a formal complaint with the administration, and, potentially, give added weight to complaints filed with the Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent arbiter.
Conservative groups were cautiously pessimistic about the new guidelines, which have yet to be completed.
Focus on the Family, a conservative evangelical group, released a statement Tuesday night saying that the law already prohibited managers from taking any job action not directly related to job performance, "making this review an unnecessary political action to appease a special interest group embedded in the Obama administration."
The group also criticized the new policy as "government affirmation" of behavior it has defined as "one of many sexual sins that is outside God's created intent and desire for us."

Office Space For Rent:

(1) St. Anthony Park, St. Paul
Furnished Part-time Office in fabulous St. Anthony Park neighborhood, St. Paul. 1-3 days available. Comfortable setting and reasonable rent. Opportunity for collegial relationships and consultation. Contact Jil, jil@jileverone.com ; Cheri, cheri@desmondmay.com ; or Signe signe@nestconsult.com .

(2) Space Available in Minneapolis:

Loring Park Office Space
Office space available Tues, Thur, Fri and weekends in beautiful, 1920's art deco building on the east side of Loring Park. Two large offices with high ceilings, Room and Board furniture, waiting room and kitchenette. $150/mo/office per day used. Please contact Suzanne Harman, LICSW at 612.760.6978 if interested or for further information.
sselharman@earthlink.net

2010 Conference Notes:

(1) Help us publicize the conference through your website.

If you have a website, would you be willing to post information about our 2010 Conference and put a link to the Network for more information? We will supply you with the content. PLEASE contact Dennis Christian, Conference Publicity Chair at <support@dennischristian.com >  Starting mid-June, we WOULD LIKE TO PUBLICIZE THE REQUEST FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS .

(2) Serve on A Committee:
Network Members may participate in the Conference Planning in the following ways:

1. General Conference Planning Committee, Co-Chairs: Irene Greene (irenegreene@earthlink.net ) & Anne Phibbs, UM GLBTA Programs Office)
2. Program Committee, Chair, Bonnie Burg (bburglcsw@aol.com ) (The next formal meeting of the Program Committee is Friday, 9/10, 10:30-11:30am at 100 West Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis)
3. Community Liaison Committee, Chair, Owen Konecnik (owen@counselorminneapolis.com )
4. Publicity Committee, Chair Dennis Christian (support@dennischristian.com )

Sign Up.  Be Involved.  Spread the Word. Think about doing a workshop proposal. WE WILL HAVE MORE COMMITTEES & DO NEED MORE HELP!

WATCH FOR MORE INFORMATION.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Changing our cruel, childish dynamic is not anything that can be legislated. A new, inclusive, and more compassionate politic must be lived by more and more people every day, free from the institutions that would enthrall them...We need to include in our loving, caring, generous, and compassionate lives people who share our loving, caring, generous, and compasssionate values, no matter their race, or politics or religion, no matter their gender or sexuality. We need to work on behalf of everyone who's being oppressed by a system we bought into as children  and never bothered to change." by Kate Bornstein, in Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks & Other Outlaws 

About this eNewsletter:
The MN LGBT Therapist eNewsletter is a free networking tool for members of the LGBT Therapist Network. All Network members are welcome to contribute to this grass-roots bi-weekly eNewsletter. Just send your referral question, announcement, member accomplishment, space available information, event, conference, workshop, group information, or other pertinent notice to irenegreene@earthlink.net .

The MN LGBT Therapist eNewsletter is sent out every second Tuesday of the month.  All responses to questions, ads, workshops, etc. should be emailed directly back to the contact person in the notice. If you want your name added or deleted from the Network email list, please contact us.  Please note that if you do decide to delete your email, you will no longer receive general Network
communications, such as event announcements.

If you want to become a member of this organization please visit:  <http://www.LGBTTherapists.org >
Thank you! Irene Greene, MN LGBT Therapist eNewsletter Coordinator 

ARE YOU A MEMBER?

 If you are not a member, please become one! Each month we gain more members! We are over 115! YIPPEE!  Thanks always for supporting LGBT Therapists!

Questions?  Ready to pay?  Visit the new LGBT Therapists website

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