FAN has invited Melissa Blitz, LCPC (she/her) and Joe Serio, LCPS (he/his) of Compass Health Center to create a program addressing the complex issues that LGBTQ+ youth face. Our many school and mental health partners ask us for content that would be helpful to students, parents, educators, and clinicians.

In this webinar, Blitz and Serio will delve into specific risk factors affecting this demographic and offer insights into personal, communal, and societal hurdles. They will explore pathways to active allyship, shedding light on opportunities for advocacy. Additionally, they will emphasize the importance of increasing awareness of personal and societal biases, addressing overt, subconscious, and implicit prejudices.

Attendees will leave with practical strategies to empower and build resilience in LGBTQ+ youth, spanning various crucial settings such as home, intrapersonal relationships, school, work, social environments, and broader political and societal contexts. It is crucial to provide valuable insights into both existing and potential opportunities for advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTQ+ youth.

Blitz is the associate director of Compass’ Center of Excellence for Adult Mood & Anxiety programming, and Serio is the Chief Clinical Quality Officer there. They will be in conversation with Tiffany Myers (she/her), a licensed clinical social worker and the social work department chair at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL. Myers has 30 years of experience working in mental health and has spent the last 27 years counseling and learning from her students in a high school setting.

This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.