Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth (2 CE)

Course Level: Intermediate

Course By: Jennifer Kolb, LCSW

Jennifer Kolb, LCSW; Social Work Consultant, reviewed and determined the course meets requirements for continuing education in the field of social work. This course is appropriate for masters and clinical level social workers. Jennifer graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisville, Kentucky. She specializes in school-based psychotherapy with children and adolescents, as well as licensing exam coaching and preparation.

Course Delivery: Online, Self-Paced

Content By: This course is based on a publication prepared by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 15-4928. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015), with lead scientific reporter Laura Jadwin-Cakmak, MPH with support from W. Alexander Orr, MPH. Input was also provided by an expert panel of researchers and practitioners in child and adolescent mental health with a strong background in gender development, gender identity, and sexual orientation in children and adolescents. The panel included experts with a background in family therapy and psychology of religion. Among others, the panel included: Sheri Berenbaum, PhD; Celia B. Fisher, PhD; Laura Edwards-Leeper, PhD; Marco A. Hidalgo, PhD; David Huebner, PhD; Colton L. Keo-Meier, PhD; Scott Leibowitz, MD; Robin Lin Miller, PhD; Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW; Josh Wolff, PhD; and Mark A. Yarhouse, PsyD.

Course Description:

The course provides mental health professionals with accurate information about effective and ineffective therapeutic practices related to children's and adolescent's sexual orientation and gender identity. Specifically, this course addresses the issue of conversion therapy for minors. The conclusions in this report are based on professional consensus statements arrived at by experts in the field. Conversion therapy - efforts to change an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression - is a practice that is not supported by credible evidence and has been disavowed by behavioral health experts and associations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Evaluate the guiding principles underlying the statements of professional consensus regarding sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
2. Assess the implications of key research findings regarding child and adolescent sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
3. Delineate various approaches to ending the use of conversion therapy

Course Format:

Course materials can be downloaded or read online. To receive a certificate of completion, you must complete an online multiple-choice post-test with a score of 75% or better and complete an online course evaluation. 

Approvals: