GS2014

The Child and Adolescent Gender Center-Mind the Gap Mental Health Collaborative has pulled together a team dedicated to developing gender affirmative mental health assessment protocols for children, youth, and their families with the goals of 1) transcending a binary model and replacing it with assessment tools that reflect the multiplicity and diversity of gender; and 2) facilitating open communication and improving collaboration with children, families, and allied professionals in treatment planning. Our team has created new and updated existing gender-focused interview questions, developed assessment protocols, and compiled suggested tools that may be helpful in gathering information about 1) your client's gender identity and gender expressions; 2) relationship to their body and their social, familial and cultural experience of gender; and 3) levels of support in the family and social environment.  Our session will first present our working model and tools and then invite the participants to discuss and give the team input and feedback on this complex and delicate, yet much needed, assessment development process.