Reducing Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias through Education and Coaching: How agency educators can reduce anti-LGBTQ2S bias through training, facilitation,

and coaching.

Angela Weeks- Project Director, National Quality Improvement Center on Tailored services, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ2S Children and Youth in Foster Care

Avery Irons, Senior Project Associate, National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice

Lydia Proulx, Youth Program Specialist, Youth Move National

Do’s and Don’ts DO • Rely on research and best practices

• Remind them of the standards of care, policies, and protocols

• Ask questions to explore underlining beliefs or fears

• Ask to support them in their learning about a topic

• Provide resources and tools

• Report them if their behavior poses a safety risk to others

Don’t • Argue religion, belief systems, or

culture

• Base your position on personal experience

• Challenge someone’s experiences

• Use their lives as examples for training or coaching a group

• Force them into the panic zone

Facilitation

Discussion When would you use small group discussion versus large group discussion in a challenging room?

Responding to Emotion

Facilitating with Difficult Participants

Facilitator's FOUR MAGIC PHRASES

Co-facilitation Vs. Single Facilitation

Facilitation tricks and tips

When To Move On

When to Celebrate!!!

When people get it!

When you can see change in participants.

When participants tell you that you’ve changed their lives!!

Angela Weeks: Angela.weeks@ssw.umaryland.edu

Lydia Proulx: lproulx@youthmovenational.org

Avery Irons: airons@prainc.com

Contact Information