Melissa Blitz, LCPC
Associate Director of the Center of Excellence for Adult Mood & Anxiety programming at Compass Health Center
Joe Serio, LCPC
Chief Clinical Quality Officer at Compass Health Center
Tiffany Myers, LCSW
Social work department chair at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL
Strategies to Reduce Risk and Increase Resilience in LGBTQ+ Youth
FAN has invited Melissa Blitz, LCPC (she/her) and Joe Serio, LCPC (he/his) of Compass Health Center to create a program addressing the complex issues that LGBTQ+ youth face. Our many school and mental health partners ask us for content that would be helpful to students, parents, educators, and clinicians.
In this webinar, Blitz and Serio will delve into specific risk factors affecting this demographic and offer insights into personal, communal, and societal hurdles. They will explore pathways to active allyship, shedding light on opportunities for advocacy. Additionally, they will emphasize the importance of increasing awareness of personal and societal biases, addressing overt, subconscious, and implicit prejudices.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies to empower and build resilience in LGBTQ+ youth, spanning various crucial settings such as home, intrapersonal relationships, school, work, social environments, and broader political and societal contexts. It is crucial to provide valuable insights into both existing and potential opportunities for advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTQ+ youth.
Blitz is the associate director of Compass’ Center of Excellence for Adult Mood & Anxiety programming, and Serio is the Chief Clinical Quality Officer there. They will be in conversation with Tiffany Myers (she/her), a licensed clinical social worker and the social work department chair at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL. Myers has 30 years of experience working in mental health and has spent the last 27 years counseling and learning from her students in a high school setting.
This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.
Event Sponsors
- The Alliance for Early Childhood
- The Avery Coonley School
- Baker Demonstration School
- Beacon Academy
- Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School
- Brickton Montessori School
- British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park
- British International School of Chicago, South Loop
- Chiaravalle Montessori School
- Chicago Jewish Day School
- Compass Health Center
- Connections for the Homeless
- The Cove School
- Evanston Scholars
- Evanston Township High School D202
- The Family Institute at Northwestern University
- Family Service Center
- Foundation 65
- The Frances Xavier Warde School
- Francis W. Parker School
- Glencoe D35
- Gorton Center
- Grayslake Community High School D127
- Haven Youth and Family Services
- Hyde Park Day School
- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- Kenilworth D38
- Lake Bluff D65
- Lake Forest Academy
- Lake Forest Community High School D115
- Lake Forest Country Day School
- Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools
- Latin School of Chicago
- Loyola Academy
- Lycée Français de Chicago
- Magnetar Capital
- Mindful Psychology Associates PC
- Morgan Park Academy
- Near North Montessori School
- New Trier High School D203
- New Trier Parents’ Association
- North Shore Country Day
- Northwestern University Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations
- Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy
- Rebel Human
- Resurrection College Prep High School
- Rogers Park Montessori School
- Roycemore School
- Sacred Heart Schools
- Santa Clara University School of Law
- Science & Arts Academy
- The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School
- Stevenson High School D125
- University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
- Wilmette Public Library
- Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District
- Wintrust Bank
- Wolcott College Prep
- Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart
- Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.)