S26-906 Culturally Appropriate Social Work with Bisexual Clients
Total Credits: 3 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practices CEs
- Bundle(s):
- Spring 2026 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice Workshops
- Categories:
- 900 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice | New
- Instructor:
- Jonathan D. White, Ph.D., LCSW-C, CPH
- Course Levels:
- Intermediate
- Duration:
- 3 Hours 15 Minutes
- Target Audience:
- Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
Description
Based on 2020 Gallup data, 3.1% of American adults identify as bisexual, and 11.5% of “Generation Z” (born 1997 or later) adults identify as bisexual. More Americans describe themselves as bisexual than gay or lesbian, yet little training is available for social workers on the specific health and behavioral health needs of bisexual people. This workshop is designed to prepare social workers to provide more culturally informed social work services to bisexual clients. Bisexual people have significant differences in experience from both their heterosexual and gay/lesbian counterparts, and an approach informed by disparities, risks, protective factors, and strengths specific to bisexual identity will result in improved service delivery for clients. The workshop will explain the historical and cultural context but is primarily focused on strengthening practical clinical knowledge.
This workshop is in accordance with and compliance with the NASW Standards with a focus on service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence and social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients, to colleagues, in practice settings, as professionals, to the social work profession, to the broader society.
This workshop is in compliance with the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ COMAR 10.42.03.06.A(5) and with the District of Columbia Board of Social Work 17-70-7008.4.
Maryland: This workshop meets the license renewal requirement for Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice for Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ COMAR 10.42.06.03.A.(1)(d) with a focus on cultural humility.
District of Columbia: This workshop meets the District of Columbia Board of Social Work continuing education requirement for LGBTQ+.
Instructor
Jonathan D. White, Ph.D., LCSW-C, CPH Related Seminars and Products
Jonathan White (he/him), PhD, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker, a retired US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer, and an emergency manager specializing in the needs of children and vulnerable populations in crisis events.
He served in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), US Department of Health and Human Services, where he was the director of the Office of Community Mitigation and Recovery, the office responsible for HHS’ disaster behavioral health, community resilience, and disaster recovery programs.* In that role, he also served as national coordinator for the Health, Education, and Human Services Recovery Support Function, which is responsible for sectoral elements of long-term disaster recovery missions nationwide.
In 2018–2019, he led the mission to reunify children separated from their parents at the US border as the federal health coordinating official for the reunification mission and served as the HHS operational lead for family reunification. In testimony before Congress, he was the first federal official to describe the harms of family separation to children and to advocate an end to separation for reasons other than the safety of the child. His efforts in 2017–2018 to prevent family separation and in 2018–2019 to reunify children with their parents are featured in Errol Morris’s 2024 documentary film, Separated; Caitlin Dickerson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2022 Atlantic article, “Family Separation: An American Tragedy”; Jacob Soboroff’s bestselling book, Separated; and books by Jean Guerrero, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, and Michael D. Shear.
Prior to joining ASPR, he was the deputy director for children’s programs in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), where he led the Unaccompanied Children Program, which provided care and services to 40,000–60,000 children and youth annually who entered the US without parents or legal guardians. He previously served as senior adviser in ACF’s Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary, responsible for crisis management, public health, and strategic initiatives. Prior to that, he served as deputy director of ACF’s Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response. Earlier in his social work career, he was an oncology social worker with the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, and in prior careers he taught English to undergraduates and coordinated logistics for international labor union campaigns. He holds a Maryland LCSW-C and is a Maryland Board-approved supervisor. He has deployed or held national-level leadership roles in over eighty domestic disasters, public health emergencies, and humanitarian crisis events.
* Position information for identification purposes only. Course content does not necessarily reflect positions of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Agenda & Learning Objectives
AGENDA:
8:50 am – 9:00 am Log on
9:00 am – 10:30 am
-
Introduction
-
Who are these bisexuals anyway?:
-
Key definitions, terms, & concepts
-
The Multisexual Spectrum and Bisexual Identity
-
Demographics on Bisexual People in the United States
-
-
Health and Behavioral Health Disparities for Bisexual People Psychosocial Risk and Protective Factors for Bisexuals:
-
Biphobia
-
Bi Erasure
-
Bi Visibility
-
10:30 am – 10:45 am Break
10:45 am – 12:15 pm
-
Clinical Implications of Risk and Resilience
-
Social Support and Exclusion factors in psychosocial wellbeing
-
Healthcare and Bi Identity
-
-
Do’s and Don’ts of Culturally Competent Behavioral Healthcare with Bisexuals
-
Clinical Scenario and Group Work
-
Discussion of group work
-
Questions and Final Wrap-Up
12:15 pm Adjournment
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
-
Identify behavioral health disparities experienced by bisexual people relative to heterosexual and gay/lesbian people.
-
Discuss behavioral health risks associated with biphobia and bi erasure and protective factors associated with bi visibility.
-
List key components of culturally appropriate health care services for bisexual people.
Bibliography & References
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association (2020). Mental Health Facts on Bisexual Populations. 1-7-20 Bisexual Health Disparities Factsheet.indd
Blasingame, BM. (1992). “The Roots of Biphobia: Racism and Internalized Heterosexism.” In Weise, ER, ed. Closer to Home: Bisxexuality and Feminism. Seattle: Seal Press. 47-55.
Bostwick WB, Boyd CJ, Hughes TL, McCabe SE. Dimensions of sexual orientation and the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in the United States. Am Jour Pub Health, 468–75 (2010); Feinstein, B.A., Dyar, C. Bisexuality, Minority Stress, and Health. Curr Sex Health Rep 9, 42–49 (2017).
Feinstein, BA, Dyar, C. (2017) Bisexuality, Minority Stress, and Health. Curr Sex Health Rep 9, 42–49.
Garber, M (1995). Vice Versa : Bisexuality and the Eroticism of Everyday Life. New York: Touchstone.
Hutchins, L & Ka’ahumanu, L (1991). Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out. NY: Alyson.
Jones, JM (2020). “LGBT Identification Rises to 5.6% in Latest U.S. Estimate,” (February 2020): http://www.gallup.com
Jones, JM (2025). “LGBTQ+ Identification in U.S. Rises to 9.3%.” Gallup.
Mehta, V. (2023) Bisexual Men Exist: A Handbook for Bisexual, Pansexual, and M-Spec Men. NY: Jessica Kingsley.
Miller, M, Andre, A, Ebin, J & Bessonova, L. (2007). Bisexual Health: An introduction and model practices for HIV/STI prevention programming. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. bisexual_health.pdf
Page EH. (2004). “Mental health services experiences of bisexual women and bisexual men.” Journal of Bisexuality 2004;4(1-2):137-160.
Walters, M.L., Chen, J., & Breiding, MJ. (2013). “The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation.” Atlanta, GA: NCIPC, CDC.
White, JD (2001). “Bisexuals Who Kill: Hollywood’s Bisexual Crimewave, 1985-1998.” Journal of Bisexuality 2 (1).
Course Completion & CE Information
Category I Maryland BSWE Requirement
The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs. This workshop qualifies for 3 Category I Continuing Education Units for anti-oppressive social work practices. The Office of Continuing Professional Education is also authorized by the Maryland Board of Psychologists and the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors to sponsor Category A continuing professional education.
ASWB Information
University of Maryland School of Social Work Office of Continuing Professional Education, #1611, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 2/11/2024-2/11/2027.
To receive ACE credit, full attendance is required; no partial credits will be given for partial attendance.
Certificate Access
To access the evaluation and certificate, click on the orange certificate button in your CPE account. Once you complete the evaluation, access to the certificate will be available.
Live Interactive Webinars (Cat I) and Live Webinars (Cat II) - Allow up to 30 minutes post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.
In Person Trainings - Please allow five (5) business days post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.
Please refer to the tab "Live Interactive Webinar Policies & FAQs" for UMSSW Office of CPE policies regarding all live interactive webinar related matters. Contact our office at cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu for more information.
Evaluation
Participants will have access to the evaluation after attendance has been verified. Evaluations will be available for one (1) week after the workshop has ended.
After one (1) week, participants will no longer have access to the evaluation and will have to contact CPE about reactivation.
Target Audience
Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
We welcome anyone interested in the topic!
Live Interactive Webinar Platforms
LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR PLATFORMS
The Office of Continuing Professional Education hosts Live Interactive Webinars through Zoom. This platform offers a high quality and user-friendly webinar platform for our registrants.
System Requirements:
- Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher; MacOS 9 or higher; Android 4.0 or higher.
- Internet Browser: Google Chrome; Firefox 10.0 or higher.
Our system is not compatible with the Safari web browser.
- Broadband Internet Connection: Cable, High-speed DSL and any other medium that is internet accessible.
**Please have your device charging at all times to ensure that your device does not lose power during the webinar.
Course Interaction Requirements:
To participate in Live Interactive Webinars, you MUST have a device that allows you to view the presentation on screen and hear the instructor at all times. We do not allow participants to call-in from their phones or mobile devices and solely listen to the presentation. Participation in Live Interactive Webinars is mandatory.
Our webinar policies can be found on our website by clicking here.
Webinar Policies & FAQs
Click The Link to View The Webinar Policies & FAQs
https://umbsswcpe.ce21.com/Page/live-interactive-webinar-procedures-policies-4129
Code of Conduct
The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work adheres to the NASW Code of Ethics. This policy is to ensure that the training environment for social work professionals remains respectful, productive, and conducive to learning. Disruptive behavior that interferes with the learning process, disrupts the training experience for others, or undermines the integrity of the program will not be tolerated.
Expectations for Participant Engagement:
In alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and the University of Maryland Baltimore Code of Conduct, participants are expected to demonstrate professionalism, which includes respecting confidentiality, maintaining a collaborative and respectful tone, and contributing positively to the group dynamic. Disclosures made during the training (e.g., case studies or personal reflections) must be handled with care and in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines.
All participants in the training program are expected to:
- Engage actively in the learning process and show respect for the opinions and contributions of others.
- Demonstrate professionalism in both attitude and behavior, maintaining respect for instructors, peers, and the training environment.
- Maintain open communication by expressing concerns or disagreements constructively and respectfully.
- Follow the guidelines and expectations provided by instructors and facilitators.
- Support a collaborative learning environment where all participants feel valued and safe to contribute.
Instructors and CPE staff reserve the right to dismiss participants who do not adhere to ethical/professional principles and standards. If removed, CEs will be adjusted to reflect the time attended, unless otherwise specified.
ADA Accommodations
To request ADA accommodations:
Please email our office at least four (4) weeks before the workshop. Late requests may not be accommodated.
Our email address is cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu.
Late Fees and Refunds
The base price is $70, which includes CE credit.
Late Fee: On 06/24/26, a non-refundable late fee of $20 is added to the base price. Late fees cannot be refunded or applied to account credit.
Cancellations: **ALL cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee.** To be eligible for a refund or CPE account credit, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the workshop.
For more information, please read the general policies on our website.