Event Description:  

This 90-minute workshop on LGBTQIA+ psychology hosted by Dr. Laurie Paul will begin with a 30-minute presentation by Chani Getter, LSW, Certified Professional Coach , on research related to LGBTQIA+ psychology . Then, Chani will present several shorter cases to exemplify the challenges faced by LGBTQ people who grow up in fundamentalist religious communities, their struggle to leave the community, and develop their own identity. She will engage the workshop participants in analyzing the cases.

*1.5 Continuing Education Credits are available**

Learning Objectives:

1) Learn about key research findings on LGBTQIA+ psychology;

2) Deepen clinician's understanding of how intersectional variables such as race, ethnicity, religion and immigration status impact the psychology of LGBTQIA+ clients;

3) Evaluate clinical dilemmas in case studies of LGBTQIA+ clients and how to address them.

Presenter: Chani Getter, LSW, Certified Professional Coach

Chani Getter is a licensed social worker, a certified professional coach, and an ordained One Spirit Interfaith Minister who was raised in an ultra-orthodox Hassidic Jewish home. At the age of 23 Chani left an arranged marriage and as a single parent began a journey of self-discovery. Today, Chani is a spiritual leader, teacher, coach and counselor, who combines personal development, spiritual learning, and age-old wisdom to create courses and ceremonies that are welcoming and meaningful to all people. Chani blends the discoveries of her personal growth alongside the ancient teachings from the Jewish tradition that were such a meaningful part of her youth.

Chani provides coaching and counseling services to individuals and couples going through transitions in their own life. These include changing jobs / careers, divorce, merging families, moving, marriage etc. Chani is uniquely qualified to provide support services for Footsteps members who are leaving ultra-orthodoxy. As part of her job she trains staff at various organizations working with Footsteps members. As an openly gay parent she facilitated Ma'agal, Keshet's monthly support group for LGBTQIA women, in NYC for 13 years.

Chani brings a non-judgmental approach to important contemporary topics and provides safe spaces for all to connect with their authentic selves and deepest yearnings.

Host : Dr. Laurie Paul

Dr Laurie Paul is a licensed psychologist in DC, Virginia and Maryland. Dr. Paul graduated with her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2014 from The New School, an APA-accredited PhD program in New York City. While in graduate school, she spent 6 years as part of a research team studying how clients and therapists negotiate racial, ethnic, and cultural differences in psychotherapy. She also spent 5 years as part of a research team examining the psychological impact of breast cancer on lesbian and bisexual women and on Latina women, with a focus on social support, family support, and doctor-patient relationship. During her clinical training, she worked within a variety of settings, including: community mental health centers; the psychiatric emergency room; inpatient and outpatient hospital settings; a university counseling center; substance abuse clinics; and a drug/alcohol detoxification unit.

Dr. Paul completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychodynamic psychotherapy at The Karen Horney Clinic in New York City. The training program is accredited by the American Psychoanalytic Association and the International Psychoanalytical Association.

Dr. Paul has specialized training in cognitive behavior therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy, and mindfulness techniques. She completed the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy Training Level 2. She currently works in her private practice in Chevy Chase, MD, specializing in anxiety, OCD, and couples therapy, and is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at American University.  She has given professional education workshops for the DC Psychological Association, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The American Academy of Psychotherapists, Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, and the Society for Psychotherapy Research, on the LGBTQ community and on working with culturally-different clients. She is also a volunteer speaker for Rainbow Families.