Heteronormative Society – Impacts on Client Mental Health
Friday 21st June, 2019 - 10am - 12.30pm
2.5 HOURS CPD (CERTIFICATE PROVIDED)
Have you worked with many lesbian, gay or bisexual clients? How do you know? Did they tell you? Perhaps you inadvertently assumed they were straight …
In this workshop we will explore the impact of the society we live in, and how it can cause us, as counsellors, to automatically assume that clients will desire the ‘other gender’.
Through group discussions of case studies, we will learn the meaning of the terms heteronormative and bierasure, and how these can have a daily impact on our clients who are lesbian, gay or bisexual as they battle through the world having to continually decide whether or not to ‘come out’ each time they are in a new situation, including with you, as their counsellor.
Bringing this awareness together we will end with an interactive activity where we will discuss the impact this can have on our clients’ mental health.
ONLINE WORKSHOP
New Workshop Programme
We are acutely aware that for many colleagues in the helping professions travel is extremely difficult due to time, money and health constraints. We are developing this programme so that the workshops offered by experienced trainers from all over the world can also be accessed by you from the comfort of your own home
This workshop will be hosted in the Zoom meeting platform which has all the resources we need to create an experiential group learning environment. The workshops will have access to an online group room, breakout rooms for small groups, whiteboards for creating and sharing resources and the capacity to communicate with voice and text.
How Do I Join the Workshop?
One week before the date of the workshop you will receive an email which will include a clickable link to join the workshop. About 10 minutes before the workshop is about to begin please goto this email and click on the link. This will open the Zoom meeting on your computer or mobile device.
When you register for the workshop you will receive an email with an invitation to meet a colleague from the onlinevents team in Zoom who will help you orientate to the Zoom environment. Because the workshop will require the use of the camera and microphone on your computer or mobile device we want to help you feel confident using your technology.
Please note that we are requiring that all workshop participants meet with a colleague from the onlinevents team before participating in the onlinevents workshop programme so that the workshop can begin and run smoothly. Any colleagues who do not respond to the invitation for the pre-workshop meeting will not be able to join the workshop. This pre-workshop meeting will prepare you to attend this workshop and any other onlinevents workshop that you choose to register for. You wont need to attend one meeting per workshop.
Reduced Workshop Fees
We are offering a reduced number of low cost places to this workshop on a first come first serve basis. The tickets will be visible until they are sold out and then the full cost places will be visible on the ticket form.
WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

As a counsellor in my private practice, Sussex Rainbow Counselling, I specialise primarily in gender and sexuality within the LGBTQ communities.
My passion for working in this area began before my counselling career through my work in several LGBTQ organisations: Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard, MindOut and Allsorts Youth Project.
I love working as a trainer and have over 12 years’ experience which includes training LGBTQ volunteers to run community events to raise awareness of mental health stigma, training young people to run mental health awareness sessions in schools and colleges, training volunteers to teach English abroad and training team leaders of UK and international community team projects.
Since completing advanced training in online counselling I have been adapting my LGBTQ Awareness workshops to offer them online. This is continuing to bring a more accessible way of gaining CPD and helping fellow counsellors become more confident in working with sexual and gender diversity.
Chloe Foster
Website: www.sussexrainbowcounselling.com
Facebook: Sussex Rainbow Counselling
Twitter: @ChloeCounsellor