Frequently Asked Questions
What is Systemic Provider Training for Queer Youth Clients program?
The SPTQYC is a 20-week advanced training curriculum for clinicians to go beyond “well-intentioned” when working systemically with queer youth.
Marriage and family therapists are taught to maintain neutrality when working with youth and families, which does real harm to the queer community when queer identity is contextualized as negotiable and comes secondary to the experience of other family members. For queer youth, this can result in therapy avoidance, depression, increased friction with family systems, self-harm, and suicidal ideation or attempts. In response, the Systemic Provider Training for Queer Youth Clients program was formed in order to train clinicians to prioritize the health, safety, and joy of queer youth in systemic therapy.
The program is underpinned by the “Queer Adjusted Systemic Lens,” a model created by SPTQYC’s Project Lead, August Tousignant-Stanton, LCSW, LMFT (they / them) that prioritizes the queer experience and safety in the therapy room. This model flows through all the courses of the program, as the program equips clinicians with clinical skills; provides a critical examination of power, privilege and oppression; and, targeted classes about the unique experience of queer youth and their families, all of which clinicians can easily and immediately apply to their practice.
Marriage and family therapists are taught to maintain neutrality when working with youth and families, which does real harm to the queer community when queer identity is contextualized as negotiable and comes secondary to the experience of other family members. For queer youth, this can result in therapy avoidance, depression, increased friction with family systems, self-harm, and suicidal ideation or attempts. In response, the Systemic Provider Training for Queer Youth Clients program was formed in order to train clinicians to prioritize the health, safety, and joy of queer youth in systemic therapy.
The program is underpinned by the “Queer Adjusted Systemic Lens,” a model created by SPTQYC’s Project Lead, August Tousignant-Stanton, LCSW, LMFT (they / them) that prioritizes the queer experience and safety in the therapy room. This model flows through all the courses of the program, as the program equips clinicians with clinical skills; provides a critical examination of power, privilege and oppression; and, targeted classes about the unique experience of queer youth and their families, all of which clinicians can easily and immediately apply to their practice.
Who is the SPTQYC For?
The program is for youth-serving professionals of all kinds!
– Maybe you are a clinician who wants more tools for working with queer and trans youth.
If that sounds like you, this program is here to help. Using the Queer Adjusted Systemic Lens (QASL) model, we train clinicians to center queer experiences, strengthen family connections, and respond to systemic harm with clarity and confidence.
– Maybe you are a clinician who wants more tools for working with queer and trans youth.
– Maybe you’ve felt stuck when families struggle to accept a child’s identity.
– Maybe you feel like something is missing from traditional systemic therapy models when you try to apply them in the room.
– Maybe you want strategies for navigating the impact of politics and culture in the therapy space.
– Maybe you are looking for training that goes beyond “queer-informed” and gives you a clear model to follow.
If that sounds like you, this program is here to help. Using the Queer Adjusted Systemic Lens (QASL) model, we train clinicians to center queer experiences, strengthen family connections, and respond to systemic harm with clarity and confidence.
Why is the SPTQYC Needed?
There’s a common misconception that “any decent therapist” can provide effective care for the queer community. The reality is, without specialized training, even the most well-intentioned therapists can cause harm. Too often, therapists unintentionally:
The result? Many queer clients leave therapy believing all therapy is unsafe. Some have experienced harm from their providers. For these reasons, queer clients think twice before engaging in therapy again.
For queer youth, the consequences are even more urgent. They face higher rates of suicide and self-harm, housing insecurity, substance use, survival sex, and school bullying than their peers. Competent, affirming therapy can not only be life-changing; it can be life-saving.
How is the SPTQYC Program Delivered? What Classes Make Up the Program?
The program occurs twice a year over a 5-month period via a cohort model: one cohort begins in January, and one begins in July of each year. Participants can choose a “clinical track” or a “non-clinical” track.
This program has an experiential, clinical focus with an emphasis on practice and integration versus didactic methods of learning and teaching. Participants will earn a minimum of 31 CEs (AASECT and NBCC are currently available, along with 3 WPATH CEs also available) via a mix of synchronous and asynchronous coursework. To view the list of courses offered, click here.
How much is the program?
Our program is priced on a sliding-scale, based on where one is in their career, with an option to pay via six installments. Financial Assistance is available for those unable to afford the full cost of the program. (Please contact Miguel Valdez, Program Manager, at MiguelValdez@DenverFamilyInstitute.org for more information.)
What Will I Walk Away With?
By completing the Systemic Provider Training for Queer Youth Clients program, you will gain:
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