Working With Members of the LGBT Community Considering Parenthood

Presenter: Cheryl Deaner, LMFT
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
451 Moraga Way, Orinda (map)
1 CEU

This presentation focusses on core issues for lesbians and gay men who are considering bring children into their lives, however the content is also relevant to all sorts of individuals who are weighing the decision of whether or not they want to become parents.

Some issues specific to working with potential parents include:

• Cultural sensitivity to non-traditional families

• Family system structure and the legal implications of that structure

• Differing methods by which lesbians and gay men bring children into their lives

• Family of origin, social and spiritual/religious considerations

• Homophobia and family esteem issues

• Implications for children raised in lesbian and gay-headed households

• Bay Area resources for Gay and Lesbian families

Cheryl Deaner, LMFT, practices inEmeryville and San Francisco. She is a parent, Director
Emeritus of Our Family Coalition, (on the web at OurFamily.com),andis founder of the Alternative Family Project, the nation's first LGBT family counseling clinic. Cheryl has taught considering parenthood over the years for Lyon Martin Women’s Health Services, the UCSF Lesbian Health Resource Center, the California Institute for Integral Studies and in her practice. Cheryl enjoys working with individuals, families and children in her private practice.

Please RSVP to Sandy McQuillin at smcatdog@sbcglobal.net so we know for how many attendees we need to prepare space and nourishment. This is a 1-hour CEU course.

The fee for Wednesday workshops is $5 for members; $10 for non-members. Saturday workshops include a $10 member or $20 non-member fee.