Program Overview

Affirming Approaches for Transgender Individuals and Communities

Advance your advocacy and practical skills in providing affirming education or therapy experiences for Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Gender Expansive, and Non-Binary (TGNCNB) people and communities.

Program Overview

Comprehensive training in affirmative services for Transgender, Gender Non-conforming, Gender Expansive and Non-binary (TGNCNB) people still lacks in many professions. Due to this gap in training, TGNCNB communities can struggle to find mental health services and education that fits their needs and affirms who they are.

To address this need, Widener has developed two advanced training programs—one for education professionals and one for mental health providers—to support the TGNCNB community.

Affirming Approaches Program Options

Affirming Schools Curriculum Overview

This program is intended to provide Pennsylvania K-12 education professionals—school counselors, administrators, educators, and other staff—the necessary tools to become gender champions in their schools. The program is specifically tailored to effectively support K–12th grade students throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

In this program, you'll learn from a skilled facilitator with extensive experience in creating affirming learning environments for transgender and gender non-conforming youth. You'll learn how to support individual students in their gender development, implement supportive school policy, and create affirming school and classroom environments.

As part of the program, you can expect to:

• Attend five half-day, online sessions.
• Receive personal consultation to hone plans for long-term change in your school and stay connected to a support network of education professionals.
• Earn continuing education credits (CEUs) or Act 48 credits, where appropriate, and move one step closer to maintaining your certification.

Affirmative Therapy Curriculum Overview

The Affirmative Therapy for Transgender Communities Program is a yearlong training designed specifically for mental health providers.

Over the course of the training, you can expect to:

• Incorporate training into practice of affirmative therapy and exceptional care for TGNCNB clients
• Attend a series of training days either in-person or online. Participants must be available to attend ALL of the listed dates and times in the program they choose (except for the bonus day).
• Participate in 30 hours of online group supervision
• Receive monthly readings that will build TGNCNB knowledge base and skills
• Build community with other TGNCNB affirmative providers
• Collaborate on an ever-expanding resource database for TGNCNB affirmative services
• Earn social work CEUs, in collaboration with the Center for Social Work Education

Admissions & Aid

Admissions Information

• Completed online application
• Supplemental essay if seeking financial aid

Financial Aid

Because Widener is a private institution, we're able to offer financial assistance that brings our education within reach for individuals who might otherwise not be able to afford it.

You might be surprised how much we are able to offer.

Scholarship Information

Scholarships have been created to assure that these trainings increase the number of therapists and education professionals who can provide affirming experiences for TGNCNB communities. We especially encourage professionals who are people of color and/or TGNCNB to apply for these scholarships. Clinicians with strong religious affiliations are also encouraged to apply for affirming therapy scholarships.

To apply for a scholarship, please include a 250-word statement along with your application materials sharing your personal connection to the goals of the program and how you plan to use this training in your profession.

Why Study Affirming Approaches for Transgender Individuals and Communities at Widener?

Connect With Committed & Engaged Faculty

Here, you'll find welcoming mentors committed to equity, inclusion, diversity, and social justice. Our instructors are leaders in their field and community and are passionate about generating a dynamic training and supervision program. You'll receive their trainings plus on-going online supervision, which is scheduled at times that are convenient for your schedule.

Expand & Strengthen Your Professional Network

As you build your affirmative skills, you'll also build community with other TGNCNB-affirmative providers and educators. This network of supportive professionals will be an invaluable resource as you continue to integrate these practices into your workplace.

Our Faculty

• Sean Lare, Associate Adjunct Professor
• Damon Constantinides, Associate Adjunct Professor

Program Details

• Offered as: Nondegree Training Program
• Format: 100% Online
• College/School: College of Health & Human Services
• Affiliation: Center for Human Sexuality Studies

Next Steps to Apply

This program is not currently accepting applications. If you want to stay in the know for the next time this program will run, complete the request information form.