Despite your efforts to learn as much about LGBTQ2SIA+ identities and issues as you can, when you find yourself sitting in front of a patient and trying to decide what to ask them about their identity, body, and relationships, you just wish you’d had more practice with this!

Does this sound familiar?

You’re doing a new client intake and you ask if your client lives with anyone else. She responds “oh yes, I live with my wife”.

“Oh! Awesome!” you respond. You’re glad she felt comfortable coming out to you so early in the appointment. You continue with your intake.

But something is nagging at the back of your head - was it weird that you said “awesome!!!!”? Do you say that when a woman says she lives with her husband? Did she think that was weird? YOU know you’re not weird, but does she?

You try to stay on-task and keep up with your charting.

But the next thing on your list is to talk about sexual health...do you need to change the questions you ask because she’s gay? Wait, is she gay? Did she say that or did she just say she had a wife?

You make it through the appointment, sweaty, nervous, and excessively enthusiastic.

Was that weird? Yeah, maybe. Could she tell? Quite possibly. You ask her to book a follow-up appointment in two weeks and she says she doesn’t have her work schedule yet - she’ll call to book when she knows.

You never get the call.

Here's why you're not making those genuine connections with your LGBTQ2SIA+ clients:


You’re trying to memorize your way to cultural competence.

But unfortunately, you can’t be “competent” in someone else’s culture. Even if you know what every letter in the acronym means, not fully addressing your biases and understanding the concepts that underlie them blocks you from truly listening to your patients’ individual experiences. And even with all the knowledge in the world, you'll still get all hot and cold at once when you try to apply it in the real world...unless you are able to practice these scenarios first.

You’re compensating for a lack of understanding with a surplus of niceness.

Instead of taking the time to really understand your LGBTQ2SIA+ clients’ unique experiences, you’re working doubly hard to treat them like all your other clients, when what they really need is that individualized care you’re famous for. The only way to move beyond the rigid and ever-changing rules of political correctness is to practice cultural humility.

You care about getting great results for diverse clients. So isn’t it about time you were able to chat with clients of all genders and sexualities openly and comfortably about their identities, bodies, relationships, and behaviours?


Good news: it’s not hard to leave behind awkward conversations and post-appointment self-doubt and start having the kinds of honest chats that give you the BEST insight into your client’s needs.

Hi, I'm Dr. Arlie Millyard, ND

I'm a naturopathic doctor, LGBTQ2SIA+ wellness expert, and linguistics enthusiast. I help health and wellness practitioners build more inclusive practices, so you can impact more lives.

With over 10 years of lived, research, and clinical experience, I bring a deep understanding of both the practitioner’s and the patient’s perspective to the table, promoting clearer communication, increased trust, and better clinical outcomes for LGBTQ2SIA+ patients.

Arlie, a femme with light skin and long brown hair, stands outside smiling at the camera. She is wearing pink-framed glasses and a dark blue shirt.

Registration closes in

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What's covered:

  • Core Concepts

    Understand gender, biological sex, sexual orientation, and the historical and current medical contexts of pathology to diversity.

    Quickly understand your clients' identities without burdening them with educating you or avoiding the topic out of embarrassment.

    Start your days feeling confident in your ability to understand your clients' identities without research or preparation.

  • Identity Types and Labels

    Learn the most important clinical considerations around sexual orientation, the asexual and aromantic spectra, gender identity, intersex variations, and non-colonial identities, and find out exactly how exploring these concepts with your clients will level up your relationships and assessments.

    Learn how to decide whether a question about identity, bodies, relationships, or behaviour is clinically relevant, or rude and boundary-crossing.

    Finish appointments feeling self-assured that you're providing responsive and comprehensive care.

  • Clinical Scenarios

    Ditch the infographics that leave you with just as many questions as you started with and get ready for a live training where you get to roleplay realistic clinical scenarios with other practitioners in a judgement-free space.

    Work out the language that feels most authentic to you and get comfy navigating conversations about identities you don't share.

  • CE Credits

    Ontario-based NDs and folks in provinces that accept CONO credits: it's your lucky day. This workshop will be the most fun you'll ever have while earning 2 Category A Jurisprudence Credits.

Pricing options

This live virtual workshop is for you if you're a health or wellness practitioner who is:

  • Ready to start considering the specific needs of your LGBTQ2SIA+ clients without relying on stereotypes and assumptions.

  • Looking to find the perfect balance between holding space for your clients' identities, asking alllll the clinically relevant questions, and knowing when identity isn't important.

  • Excited to connect with your LGBTQ2SIA+ clients on a whole new level.

Once you sign up, you will immediately get access to a little introduction video here on our learning portal that will remind you exactly what to expect on the day of the workshop.

The day before the workshop, you’ll get a link to the webinar in your email, and I’ll see you there on April 3rd at 4 pm!

FAQ

  • 👩‍⚕️ I'm a [insert your profession or practice here], would this be relevant to me?

    Probably! This workshop is designed for practitioners who have one-on-one appointments with clients to work on their physical health or mental wellbeing. So in addition to our colleagues in naturopathic medicine, we welcome nutritionists, chiropractors, osteopaths, dentists, optometrists, therapists, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, medical doctors, nurse practitioners, and more! If you're not sure if this is right for you, just send us an email and we'll let you know.

  • 💜 What if I can’t attend live? Will there be a replay?

    Because this workshop is so interactive, we won’t be offering a replay, so you will need to attend live if you want to practice these skills.

  • 📆 Is April 3, 2022 the only opportunity to attend this workshop live?

    We don’t have a date set for the next round, but we’re hoping to offer it again in the Fall of 2022. Because we can’t guarantee it’ll happen then, if you really want to take this training we’d highly recommend you take it now.

  • 🦻 I have access needs that can make webinars difficult. Can I get some accomodations?

    Absolutely you can. Just send an email letting us know what you need and we'll work it out. We always make sure to present information verbally AND visually, and cameras on is encouraged, not required.

  • 👯‍♀️ Is this the same as The Queer Alphabet workshop you offered last year?

    Good catch! This is a new-and-improved version of that workshop, now focusing more on practical application of your knowledge, and how to find just the right amount of emphasis to put on identity when talking to your clients. This version is more advanced and more hands-on than before. And when you get your CE certificate, you'll see that the course is still technically called The Queer Alphabet - we had to change the name to work with social media algorithms 🥴.