Child mental health CoP - Session 6: Gender diversity

The child mental health community of practice (CoP) is a multidisciplinary CoP for clinicians including but not limited to GPs, practice nurses, psychologists, paediatricians, mental health clinicians, social workers and counsellors.

The aim of the CoP is to improve the capacity of clinicians assessing and managing mental health problems in children and adolescents. Over 6 sessions, facilitated by local GP Dr Sahar Iqbal, participants will examine case studies with experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Chidambaram Prakash from the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Each monthly session will focus on a topic of interest. Sessions will be held using Zoom on Tuesday evenings, from 6:30pm to 8.00pm. 

The topic for session 6 is gender diversity. 2.3 to 3.7 per cent of Australian young people identify as trans or gender diverse. They experience high rates of social exclusion, discrimination, harassment and abuse, and have high rates of mental illness. This session will start with a thorough overview of gender identity, and then focus on how to support trans young people and their families to improve mental health outcomes.

Speaker

Dr Tram Nguyen is a psychiatrist and mental health lead at the RCH Gender Service. Tram has had a breadth of experience working with young people and their families. She is a strong advocate for those who are vulnerable and marginalised. She is excited and privileged by the opportunity to work with young gender diverse people and their families through their journey at the Gender Service.

Continuing professional development (CPD) hours are available for GPs attending these sessions. North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) will allocate 0.5 EA and 1.0 RP CPD hours per session for GPs who attend. CPD can also be claimed by participants.

For any queries, please contact education@nwmphn.org.au

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Confidently assess and identify common mental health conditions in children and adolescents  
• Discuss the best practice management for common mental health conditions in children and adolescents
• Identify appropriate referral pathways in local region to support management of children and adolescents with common mental health conditions