In the past decade, social workers have witnessed substantial strides made to support the rights of the LGBTQ community, from the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm the marriage rights of same-sex couples, to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, allowing gay and lesbians to serve openly in the military, to increasing visibility of LGBTQ identities and lives in the public sphere. Despite this progress, discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and intersecting aspects of identity, such as race and immigration status, continues to place LGBTQ people at profound risk.

While LGBTQ communities remain incredibly strong and resilient, we are more likely to live in poverty, with fewer than half of states offering any legal employment protections; more likely to experience depression and substance use, while efforts remain underway to promote harmful “reparative therapy”; and more likely to be homeless, with LGBT youth represent up to 40% of homeless youth, while housing that considers our unique needs remains underfunded, or non-existent, in most communities.

In this workshop, participants will delve into discussion of contemporary issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; we will explore advocacy efforts underway on a local, state, and national level; and you will leave will concrete action steps that you can take to create more affirming spaces for LGBTQ people in any social work practice setting.

Nicole Avallone, LCSW, is the former Deputy Director of Programs and Policy at the NYC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, and currently provides consultation services geared toward advancing LGBT community concerns, in addition to her private practice. A licensed clinical social worker with nearly 20 years of direct practice and management experience, Nicole also served as the Center’s Director of Youth Services for many years. Prior to joining The Center, Nicole served as Program Director of the only government-funded psychosocial club specifically geared toward LGBT adults living with mental illness, and worked as a psychotherapist and later program director at a harm reduction and HIV/AIDS service organization in the Bronx. Nicole obtained her Masters in Social Work from NYU in 2004, where she began teaching courses in clinical practice and group work in 2014.

2 CE Contact Hours

REFUND REQUESTS:

All refund requests must be submitted by email to workshops@naswnyc.org . Valid requests must be received no later than five days prior to course date. 

All refunds are subject to a $20.00 administrative processing fee. Credit cannot be issued toward a future program date or substituted for another workshop. Refund requests typically require 1-2 weeks processing time.