MPS Scientific Meeting – Amorie Robinson, Ph.D. – June 7th

Presenter: Amorie Robinson, PhD

Associate Director of Outpatient Therapy in Behavioral Health at the 

Ruth Ellis Center, a Metro-Detroit Agency Serving At-Risk LGBTQ+ youth

Who is Taking Care of Mother Ruth’s Children, and How? Clinical Lessons That Can Be Gleaned from Working with LGBTQ+ Clients

June 7, 2025

2:00 – 4:00pm (Eastern Time)

Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, 32841 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI

HYBRID

2 CME and CE Credit Hours

($30 per Credit Hour for Non-MPS members)

Join Meeting: https://zoom.us/my/michiganpsychoanalysis

About the presenter: Dr. Amorie Robinson (she/her) received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Michigan where she has lectured on LGBT studies and multicultural group processes in women’s studies and psychology courses. She worked for twenty years at Recorder’s Court Psychiatric Clinic and the Clinic for Child Study, both in Detroit. Currently, she serves as a psychotherapist at the Radical Well-Being Center in Southfield, after having over 20 years of experience at other outpatient clinics such as Counseling Associates and Lewis & Mikkola. Dr. Robinson also conducts trainings for mental health providers and K-12 school personnel. Her published work includes best practice interventions centering upon Black lesbian youth and adult resilience, Black women’s wellness, and standards of care for justice-involved Black LGBT+ youth. As a co-leader and collaborator, Dr. Robinson co-founded several Black LGBT+ grassroots organizations in Detroit and has facilitated support spaces for Black LGBT+ community members across the country since the 1980s. She is an active member and former board member of both the Association of Black Psychologists and the Association for Women in Psychology. Dr. Robinson spent time as an Adjunct Faculty member and practicum supervisor at the Michigan School of Psychology. She co-founded the Ruth Ellis Center in 1999.

Practice Gap/Need and Course Description: Many clinicians lack experience, background, or knowledge regarding work with clients of color, particularly LGBTQ+ youth. who are often abandoned by family and community and face systemic barriers to quality healthcare. There is an urgent need for therapists and psychoanalysts to appreciate cultural context of conflictual relationships and the complexities of social expectations youth face to appropriately address related treatment challenges, such as establishing a strong therapeutic alliance and managing countertransference. Given that both at-risk and resilient LGBT+ youth and adults benefit from culturally responsive providers and services, this training offers insights, clinical tools, and recommendations for supporting optimal outcomes for their mental and emotional wellness.

Learning Objective #1: Attendees will be able to describe three major challenges that many LGBTQ+ individuals encounter that are associated with responses to their minoritized identities.

Learning Objective #2: Attendees will be able to identify approaches to creating a positive therapeutic alliance with LGBTQ+ clients.

Learning Objective #3: Attendees will be able to describe three culturally responsive best practices for handling countertransference reactions that occur , with LGBTQ+ youth, especially those from culturally marginalized communities.