Working with Bisexual Clients: Foundations and Basic Competencies
Course #9181L -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
This live event takes place Friday, December 11, 3:30 pm-5:30 pm EST (12:30 pm-2:30 pm PST).
A growing number of individuals are coming out as bisexual, or as part of what is generally called the bisexual umbrella that includes other identifiers such as pansexual, omnisexual, or otherwise sexually fluid. Individuals identifying as part of the bisexual umbrella are vulnerable to receiving three messages from society at large: (a) there’s no such thing as bisexuality, (b) you are a confused person who has not yet figured things out, and (c) bisexual people use their sexuality in deviant or manipulative ways. All of these messages carry oppressive cognitions about the self and sense of being in the world that can be explored and discussed as trauma issues. In this course, some of the basic terminology, definitions, and statistics about bisexual mental health are covered to help mental health professionals better get to know this population. The concept of oppressive cognitions as traumatic experiences are discussed, and the ways in which uninformed treatment professionals feed into these shaming cognitions are discussed. Solutions for creating and implementing bi-affirming treatment cultures are also presented.
This live webinar is designed for mental health professionals who provide clinical services to bisexual clients and others who identify under the bisexual umbrella.
The purpose of this course is to enhance learners' knowledge of bisexual identities and related experiences of stigma and trauma, strengthen their ability to recognize and address oppressive cognitions in treatment, and promote self-awareness and affirming clinical practices that support positive client outcomes.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Define bisexuality and the bisexual umbrella using several well-accepted definitions from the LGBTQ+ literature.
- Discuss the concept of oppressive cognitions as a trauma issue and explain how such cognitions can complicate recovery for bisexual clients.
- Articulate a basic trauma-focused treatment strategy for working with bisexual clients.
- Evaluate one's own personal biases surrounding bisexuality and working with bisexual clients.
Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, REAT, RYT-500, RMT, (she/they) travels internationally speaking on topics related to EMDR therapy, trauma, addiction, expressive arts, and mindfulness while maintaining a private practice and online education operation, the Institute for Creative Mindfulness, in her home base of northeast Ohio. She is the developer of the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy and the developer of Yoga for Clinicians. Dr. Marich is the author of numerous books, including EMDR Made Simple, Trauma Made Simple, and EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma Focused Care (written in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Dansiger). She is also the author of Process Not Perfection: Expressive Arts Solutions for Trauma Recovery. In 2020, a revised and expanded edition of Trauma and the 12 Steps was released. In 2022 and 2023, Dr. Marich published two additional books: The Healing Power of Jiu-Jitsu: A Guide to Transforming Trauma and Facilitating Recovery and Dissociation Made Simple. Dr. Marich is a woman living with a dissociative disorder, and this forms the basis of her award-winning passion for advocacy in the mental health field.
Contributing faculty, Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, REAT, RYT-500, RMT, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Kimberly Byrd, EdD, PMSW
Scott Deatherage, PhD
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.