Instructor:

Cynthia V. Catchings, LCSW-S, CFTP experience includes working as a Case Management Supervisor, a MH Counselor, and a Supervisor II for the Texas DFPS. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas-RGV.

Cynthia has conducted ethnographic research in over 30 countries and is a Board Member of the NASWTX. She is the owner and Executive Director of the Women's Emotional Wellness Center in Texas and the Washington DC Metro area. She is also a Senior Trainer for federal agencies in DC, and a member of the Peer Support and Media team with Talkspace.

Cynthia has been published in Bustle, NBC News, Thrive Global, MSN, Teen Vogue, among many others.

 

More Social Workers Need Better LGBTQ Training to Properly Serve Increased Client Numbers, Needs, Says Instructor Cynthia Catchings

Demand for mental health services is so high in the LGBTQ population that Cynthia Catchings, LCSW-S, CLYL, CFTP, CMS, CMHIMP, EMDR, LALF, has waitlists at both her Texas and Alexandria, Virginia offices. As founder and executive director of Women’s Emotional Wellness Center, Catchings has a son who “is cradled in the LGBTQ community, [so] I want to make sure that these voices are heard and that we actually educate other people” about LGBTQ issues.

She will share individuals’ stories and the how-to of best practice for LGBTQ client care in a new NASW Virginia/Metro DC course, “Culturally Competent Care: Views from the Transgender Individual, Family, and Therapist,” October 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cost is $30, members; $50 nonmembers.

Catchings, who also serves as vice president of the NASW Metro DC Chapter Board of Directors, began teaching others about LGBTQ-related social work because she wanted to inform, build empathy, and become an ally to that community. A university training on How to Become an Ally “was an eye opener,” she says. “It was beautiful, so part of my training course includes some of the information they used.”

Such training of social workers in LGBTQ issues is imperative due to misinformation and biased assumptions. “I have had therapists tell me, ‘I know how to work with LGBTQ community,’ but they never ask about pronouns,” Catchings says. “They never ask a client, ‘What name would you like for me to use?’ They just go with the name they see on the insurance company card. Those are little things we sometimes forget, so while this course can be a refresher for some people, for others, it can be completely new information.”

One common misconception she hears? That the transition process of LGBTQ clients is the same for everyone. The reality is that the process can differ dramatically among each individual, and age, family acceptance, and the ability to find resources within their community have much to do with their transition experience.

“It's important for social workers to be trained because at one point or another, we're going to be contacted by an LGBTQ individual who wants therapeutic sessions from us,” Catchings says. “Sometimes it’s family members who want to know how to better help their sons or daughters or [other relatives,] so the more that we know about it, what they are going through, or what are some of their constraints are and how to address them, the better.

Community plays a major role in the transition, in particular the exposure and the local mindset of residents toward the LGBTQ population and mental health care in general. Attitudes are different in heavily Latinx Texas than in Virginia and metro DC—something social workers need to keep in mind when clients have lived in various locations, Catchings explains.

“In Texas it’s more of an ‘I don't need to see a therapist. I'm not crazy’ attitude, and here in Virginia, it’s … ‘I want to make sure that you're going to be here for at least a year because I want this to be a process where I grow, where I really benefit from the therapy, so please let me know that this is not going to be three sessions and then you're going to leave or cancel services,’” she says. “The need and vision are very different, but it was refreshing!” She hopes more social workers become trained in LGBTQ services because she sees a rising need for their help and is so busy that she has waitlists in both states.

“One of the main ideas I have is not only to educate or bring important data to other social workers, but also to make sure they understand where their LGBTQ member … is coming from and what it is that they need or will benefit from. If we have the opportunity to help them, we are another person who can make a difference in their life, so the more that we know, the more that we can help.”