Healthy Equity or Cultural Competence CEs!

The Science of Gender & Resistance: Empowering Ourselves and Our Clients with Practical Neuroscience

Presented by: Hannah Smith, MA, LMHC, CGP

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2026| 9:00 am – 12:15 pm Pacific Time

Where: Live on Zoom. You will receive workshop details the week of the workshop.

Continuing Education Credit Hours: 3 Health Equity or Cultural Competence CEs | $95.00 

Gender is a hot-button topic these days, for sure! There is so much dis- and misinformation out there. There is presently no societal consensus on the meaning of gender identity and the plethora of science behind this. Some people will even go so far as to say there is no science and that it’s “All (simply) about chromosomes.”

Many of us know on a gut level this is not true, but we cannot put what we know into words. In fact, even doctors, parents, and transgender and non-binary people themselves can struggle to do so.

Then, even if we could explain it, we face friends, loved-ones, and strangers who belittle, dehumanize, ignore, or shut us down whenever we try to explain. Those who know little to nothing about gender will put their own world views over those of a multitude of experts – even to the point of attempting to erase and entire people group.

At a time when educating society on this important topic is at an all-time high, the resistance we face is not only maddening, it is downright traumatizing. In this training, you will learn the actual (and abundant) science behind gender development.
You will learn to differentiate clearly between sex, gender, and orientation and how to articulate it all in a concise and coherent way.

AND…

You will also learn the biology that underlies the resistance LGBTQIA+ people face when attempting to explain themselves. You will gain a new understanding of what is happening inside “the other side” so you or your clients can manage your own nervous system activation during these difficult discussions. Practical techniques will be added to this new understanding to help with emotion regulation and staying empowered.

Objectives: 

• 1. List and describe the science of gender development and how it differs from sex,
  orientation, and other aspects of identity
  2. Identify the neurobiological regions in the brain and body responsible for distortions,
  implicit bias, and other psychological resistances
  3. Explain the neurobiological mechanisms of resistance with the aim of helping clients to
  manage their own activation during difficult discussions
  4. Apply practical, evidence-based techniques to manage activation and empower more
  accurate storytelling during difficult conversations