This certificate program will educate mental health professionals on the social determinants of health of the transgender community and how to provide ethical, culturally competent, and medically accurate clinical services.

CLICK HERE to register for the next "Beyond Affirming Care" session

(Next Session: December 5 - 6, 2025)

This timely NASW-Michigan certificate program will educate mental health professionals on the social determinants of health for those in the transgender and gender non-conforming communities, and on how to provide ethical, culturally competent, and medically accurate clinical mental health services for these populations.

This certificate offers 13.5 total CE hours, including 5.0 Ethics CE hours and 2.0 Pain & Symptom Management CE hours.

About the Training

There are estimated to be a minimum of 3 million transgender people in the United States. Due to social and economic marginalization, transgender individuals face many worse health outcomes than those in the general public. This includes much higher rates of HIV infection, smoking, drug and alcohol use, and a nearly ten times greater likelihood of attempting suicide. Transgender individuals are impacted at a higher rate by housing and employment discrimination, economic insecurity, and discrimination in both physical and mental healthcare settings.

Even with these known statistics, there is virtually no education provided in U.S. colleges to prepare any mental health professionals to serve these populations. A lack of competency on the part of the provider often leads to either the transgender individual being forced into the role of teacher, simply choosing not to seek services whatsoever, or receiving potentially harmful and/or inaccurate information from their providers. In response to this grave concern, NASW-Michigan has taken the lead by developing this certificate program.

Development Goals

Through a two day training, mental health professionals will explore the following modules:

• Introduction to Working with Transgender Clients
• Cultural Competence
• Integrating Clinical Interventions with Transgender Children
• Family Support Services for Families
• Clinical Considerations
• Therapist Roles, Tasks, and Referrals
• Medical Transition and Considerations
• Legal Considerations

This training aims to not only raise the standards for clinical services offered for these populations throughout the country, but to potentially save lives by increasing the number of competent mental health professionals across the United States. This training is aimed at licensed (limited and full) master’s level social workers. However, psychologists, counselors, and other mental health and medical professionals are welcome to (and often do) attend.

Qualifications

• You must be a fully licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW/LCSW) or other licensed behavioral health professional
  
• You do not have any administrative or ethical sanctions on your license

What is Included

• 13.5 total CE hours (12.0 live/synchronous CEs, 1.5 on-demand/asynchronous CEs), including 5.0 Ethics CE hours and 2.0 Pain & Symptom Management CE hours. CEs also count towards general MCBAP credits.
• 1 separate learning module to be completed independently prior to the live session date
• 2-Day intensive training
  
• Certification by NASW-Michigan
• Lifetime eligibility to create and maintain a listing on the NASW-Michigan Chapter's "Gender Affirming Care Directory" free of charge
• Course materials

Presenters

• Amorie Robinson, PhD
• Stephen Rassi, PhD, LMSW
• Deidre Laney-King, LMSW
• John Randolph, MD
• Susan Radzilowski, LMSW
• Rachel Crandall, LMSW
• Rachel Prenzler, LMSW
• Anthany Beasley, LMSW
• Jay Kaplan, JD

Cost

• $325.00 - NASW Members
• $415.00 - Future Members