Grief is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” – Earl Grollman.

Grief occurs when an individual responds to any kind of loss, whether it be unmet expectations, a missed job opportunity or a change in relationship status. Change, however big or small, often elicits grief - we mourn the loss and welcome the new. Families supporting gender-expansive children of any age often experience an incredible amount of change in a variety of unique forms. This change can look like anything from different name and gender markers, to shifting family dynamics, to a shift in how a parent views his child’s future. This workshop is designed specifically to create space for family members to share their stories and to explore the grief that may arise as they work to support their gender-expansive child. Participants will leave the workshop with a wealth of resources and tools to support them in processing their personal experience of grief.

Ben Geilhufe, MA, LPCC is a licensed therapist, trainer and consultant. He is the co-founder and Director of Train the Gap, a group of mental health and medical professionals who provide gender specialist clinical training for a variety of organizations. He is on the Leadership Team of the Gender Specialist Clinical Team of the Central Coast, and is an active contributor to Mind the Gap, the Bay Area gender specialist team. He has contributed to policy reform for higher education institutions, non-profit organizations, school systems and larger corporations around gender identity, awareness, and inclusivity.

Things to Know:

Ben Geilhufe presented this workshop forTransFamilies of Santa Cruz members in 2015. It was a significant support resource for those who attended. We are so pleased to offer this workshop once again, and our only regret is that we did not do it sooner. Do not miss this opportunity; register today. Keep in mind, this event is not for our gender diverse children. It is for parents, grandparents, adult siblings (18+), and other caregivers of gender diverse children.

$15 for one parent/caregiver ($16.82 with Eventbrite fee)

$25 for two parents/caregivers ($27.37 with Eventbrite fee)

Confidential scholarships are available through this Eventbrite link. Our workshop presenter and facilitator, Ben Geilhufe, does not want the cost of the workshop to inhibit anyone from accessing this important source of parent support. If the cost of attendance creates a hardship please use the scholarship option at check out. For those wishing to support the scholarship program, a donation option will be available during check out as well.

We will email you the location once your Eventbrite transaction is completed. Feel free to call or email with any questions.

Warm regards,

Dina Oskiera

TransFamilies of Santa Cruz

831-818-2253

TransFamiliesofSantaCruz@gmail.com