part two: the critical role of families in reducing risk and promoting well-being for lesbian, gay,...

7/31/2019 Part Two: The Critical Role of Families in Reducing Risk and Promoting Well-Being for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) Youth

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The Critical Role of Families in Reducing Risk

and Promoting Well-Being for Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, andIntersex (LGBTQI) Youth

The Second Webinar in the Understanding and Overcoming the ChallengesFaced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex

(LGBTQI ) Youth Series Hosted by

The Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention


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Webinar Objectives Objective 1: Describe specific family behaviors that are related to

increased health risks for LGBT adolescents and family behaviorsthat protect against risk and promote the youths well-being.

Objective 2: Discuss new strategies and approaches to engage andinclude families of LGBT youth in services and activities to increaseparent, family, and caregiver knowledge of LGBT issues andconnections with their LGBT children.

Objective 3: Identify one to three specific change(s) in work withLGBTQI adolescents related to prevention, intervention, and care todecrease risk and promote their well-being in the context of theirfamilies.


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Title Page


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Questions submitted during the presentation will

now be addressed!


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Program Implications and Impactofthe Family Acceptance Projectfor

Greater Boston PFLAG

Stan Griffith

President Emeritus

Greater Boston Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc.


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Greater Boston PFLAGSupport for LGBT

youth, families,

schools and

communities

Each Year We Do:

Over 200 presentations in

middle and high school and for

corporations, religious &

community organizations

Speak to more than 14,000

individuals

We:

Sponsor 10 support groups in

the Boston area, including group

meetings four times a month for

families with transgender

children


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Use MA YRBS to Create Awareness of Risks

Confronting LGB Youth in Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS): Biennial survey of youth risk conducted by MA Dept. of

Elementary and Secondary Education (with CDC funding)

What About Your Community: About 4/5 of the states and some cities conduct the YRBS. Several

collect data on LGB students some are considering adding transgender

Level of Risk: Shows wide disparities in risk, health and safety between LGB & straight youth

Lack of change in risk, health and safety disparities past 8 years

Lack of Awareness: Majority of health, counseling and prevention specialists are completely unaware

of YRBS data

Majority of health, counseling and prevention specialists and many legislators and policy

makers are completely unaware of current research on the connections:

o between school victimization and elevated health risks

o between parental rejection and elevated health risks


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MA Youth Risk Behavior

Survey (YRBS) - 2011

The MA YRBS Found That:

7% of students surveyed described themselves as

gay, lesbian or bisexual

9.7% of students surveyed described themselvesas gay, lesbian or bisexual and/or reported same-

sex sexual contact


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Documented Risk for LGB YouthMA YRBS - 2011

Students who described themselves as LGB were significantly

more likely than their peers to report attacks, suicide attempts

and drug and alcohol use.

When compared to peers, LGB students were:

More than 7 times more likely to have attempted suicide

in the past year More than 2 times more likely to have skipped school in

the past month because of feeling unsafe

More than twice as likely to have been injured or

threatened with a weapon at school


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Significantly Increased Risk for LGBT Students,

Compared with Heterosexual PeersReported Behaviors GLB

Students*

Other

Students

Attempted suicide in past year 34.1% 4.6%

Required medical attention as a result of a suicide attempt 8.3% 1.7%

Skipped school in the

route to or at school

past month because of feeling unsafe on 9.9% 4.4%

Was

year

threatened/injured with a weapon at school in the past 15.2% 6.0%

Was bullied at school in the past year 33.5% 17.0%

Has been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant 13.0% 4.7%

*All differences between GLB students

significant, p < .05%

and Others are statistically

MA YRBS - 2011


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Prior Program FocusGreater Boston PFLAG

Schools

Over 18 years - safe schools and anti-bullying training inmiddle and high schools

Making Info & Support Available

Over 20 years - support group and help-line services

Traditional passive approach for approximately 15 years

Parents and families come to us


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FAP Research, Messaging & Approach

Facilitate Parental / Family Change

Key FAP Messaging & Framing

Parents love and want to help their children Most parents and families lack accurate information about sexual

orientation and gender identity

Understanding the catastrophic outcomes of rejecting behavior

enables parents to change

A little change has an important impact on risk reduction

The change process tends to be continuous as the parent engages

with the child and self-educates -- and family dynamics change


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Impact of Family Acceptance Projects Work

on Greater Boston PFLAG Mission New Mission: Provide every parentin Massachusetts with accurate info about sexual

orientation and gender identity for children of all ages

Shift topro-active approach

New Methodologies and Approaches:

Web-based outreach

Strategic alliances with other organizations, e.g., MassPTA,

Parents Helping Parents, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, etc.

Outreach to health, counseling and prevention specialists that have contact withparents and families

Community outreach through faith communities

Outreach through corporations and the workplace

Use FAP data for policy development (e.g., Dept. of Elementary & Secondary

Education parental notification policy)


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Application of FAP Research &

Educational Materials Pediatrician conferences

Social worker mailings

Schools of social work and other educational institutions

Grand Rounds at major teaching institutions

Community outreach through faith communities

- Mailings to religious professionals

- Town forums and new chapter organizing

- Presentations at churches, temples, synagogues- Statewide Interfaith Symposium

MA PTA strategic partnership

PFLAG at work

GSA collaborations


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Guidance for School Parental Notification Policy


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Significance of Organizing Around Family

Acceptance Project Research & Approach

Helps families and children

Diversifies the populations with whom we are able to work to

include socially conservative religious, racial and ethnic groups

Strengthens our organization by broadening the range of populations

Connects our organization with other organizations and groups who

can get the message out about the crucial role of families in the

health and well-being of LGBT youth

Creates new allies: parents and family members, friends and

acquaintances

Transforms school, workplace and community environments


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Advantages of Organizing Around Family

Acceptance Project Research & Approach

Strong Frames/Strong Message

Our message, not theirs

Positive Taps into natural parental instincts and societal values

No Arguments

We keep kids from getting beaten up and killing themselves.

We bring families back together.

We strengthen the bonds of love between parent and child.

We promote the health and safety ofallchildren.

We support school environments that are safe, where allchildren can learn and

achieve to their full potential.

You don

t need to change your religious views or your religion to help your child.


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Contact Information:

Greater Boston PFLAG

781-891-5966

http://www.gbpflag.org/


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now be addressed!


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No matter how tragic a youths past may sound, the originalfamily is the youths lifeline. His/her self esteem is derivedto some degree from this attachment. Even for the youthwho has limited contact with biological parents, thisconnection is far more significant than has been recognized

by the youth or by those working with him or her. For manyyoung people, the most stable adult in their lives has been abiological parent despite the disruptions. Sometimes ouranger at the family who has hurt a youth makes it difficultfor us to recognize their continuing importance in his/her

life.

-From Preparing for Independence: Counseling Issues with the MaltreatedAdolescent, Chapter 6: Enabling Youth to Make Peace with the Past

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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Reaching out to family does...assist youth in beginning tomake peace with their past.

Reaching out to

family does not...require a young person to live with family. It is a step toward

helping a young person look to the future with a beginning of

understanding who they are and where they are headed.

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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The numbers are hard

to ignore.

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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The dramatic benefits

from even small changesare even harder to

ignore.

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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Background NYC Mayors Commission on LGBTQ RHY: prioritizing

prevention and intervention, with a focus on family work; FAPresearch heavily informed final recommendations

(http://www.nyc.gov/html/dycd/html/runaway/LGBTQ_runaway_and_homeless_youth.shtml)

NYCs Department of Youth & Community Development soughtprivate funding to support a family intervention initiative

2 awards: SCO and Green Chimneys

SCO and GC collaborated for maximum effect split citygeographically and pool resources for training and designingapproach

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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Model Summary What informs us: FAP, FFT, MST, Stone Fish and Harvey, family

therapy, motivational interviewing

Model developed by clinical team from each agency,

collectively with decades of experience with queer youth andfamily therapy

Approx. 11-14 sessions with a beginning, middle, and end plus

1 month follow up

Training included: special needs of LGBT youth and their

families, coming out process forfamilies, FAP research findings

including accepting and rejecting behaviors, cultural

competency, PFLAG, faith-based groups Theresa Nolan, 2012


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Measurement Not a research project; simply measuring project

outcomes based on grant parameters

Administered 3 times: pre, post, and 1 month follow up

Beck Depression Inventory

Suicidality

Depression

Youth Risk Survey: compilation: FAP: based on accepting and rejecting behaviors

Youth Risk Behavior Survey from DOHMH

Several HIV risk assessment tools

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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Action Steps1. Introduce the topic of family/support

network

2. Identify support people (mentors, familyfriends, extended family members)

3. Explore the relationships

4. Have a meeting

Theresa Nolan, 2012


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now be addressed!


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Please take 5 minutes to fill out the online evaluation,

which will be available immediately upon exiting WebEx.


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Webinar Archives

Approximately 10 business days after the

webinar, you can access the slide presentation,

audio recording, and transcript at www.nttac.org.


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For more information, please contact:OJJDPs National Training and Technical Assistance

Center (NTTAC)

http://www.nttac.org

The Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

http://www.ojjdp.gov


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Please take 5 minutes to fill out the online evaluation,

which will be available immediately upon exiting WebEx.

part two: the critical role of families in reducing risk and promoting well-being for lesbian, gay,...

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