NASW-Metro DC Pride Month Symposium
Theme: Evolving Our Knowledge for the New World: Reshaping Our Clinical and Organizational Skills for LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity
 
Full Day Virtual
Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
 
Opening announcements:
Time: 8:30-8:45 am
​Presenter: ​Karessa Proctor, BSW, MSW

Morning Workshop
Time: 8:45 am - 12:00 pm
Title: Back to the Basics: Relearning Topics about Gender, Sexual Identity, and Health
Presenter: Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW, CSE
Synopsis: Do you need to discover new tools for integrating competency for LGBTQIA+ mental healthcare in our ever-changing world? Did you think you knew all the terms and words to accommodate the growing list of genders, but don’t feel as if you can keep up? Join Dr. Thomas in developing a new understanding of sex, gender, and sexual health to accommodate the difficulties in our political climate and our therapeutic and healthcare systems as well. This space is built for clinicians and educators to learn information that will evolve into modern-day practice for continuous improvement. You'll leave with a custom, intentionally inclusive framework to guide your practice and build your understanding of the spectrum of sex and gender for all people. Participants will also examine the experiences of possible unintentional harm we may inflict on our clients due to a lack of knowledge or the ever-changing pace of language. 
This workshop is geared toward direct service practitioners but open to those in administrative roles to learn how to integrate concepts within their organizations for workplace continuity. This workshop deepens the clinician’s understanding of how their own identities and cultural underpinnings affect their work and provides strategic tools for shifting one’s practice to be more intentional and inclusive of those with marginalized identities. 
Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Re-examine and discuss previously learned language, terminology, and history around gender, sexual identity, sexual health, and lived experiences using the framework of intersectionality through statistics, graphs, and visual materials.
2. Evaluate the effects of oppression, discrimination, and microaggressions on all gender affirming care through review of research, policy, and case study examples. 
3. Apply evidence-based knowledge and skills for clinical practice to create a diverse and equitable intra-personal framework for inclusive practice.

 Please Note: This workshop meets the DC Board of Social Work's 2 Cat I CE requirement in LGBTQ content for license renewal
 
Lunch break 12-1 pm
 
Afternoon Workshop
Time: 1:00-4:15 pm
Title: Introducing Identity Camaraderie by Using LGBTQ+ Experiences to Recognize Burnout and Grief in Our Work
Presenter: Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW, CSE
Synopsis: Part Two of the day shifts its focus more organizationally, building on the previous information about the LGBTQ+ population, and sex and gender cultural competency in mental health practice. This presentation will examine the social changes that have greatly affected our ability to give care in dir