Juvenile Community of Practice: Empowerment Through Understanding--The Impact of Label & Bias on Youth

Description

Empowerment Through Understanding: The Impact of Labels and Bias on Youth

Language matters—especially when working with youth navigating mental health challenges, risky behaviors, or complex life circumstances. The words we use and the labels we assign can shape perceptions, influence opportunities, and influence how young people view themselves.

In this Community of Practice session, participants will explore how bias and labeling affect youth development, well-being, and engagement with support systems. The discussion will highlight how stigmatizing language can unintentionally reinforce vulnerabilities while limiting opportunities for growth and skill-building.

Together, we will examine strategies for recognizing bias, increasing awareness of individual needs and lived experiences, and shifting toward strengths-based approaches that promote resilience, empowerment, and youth agency.

Join us for this collaborative conversation designed to deepen understanding and strengthen practices that better support the young people we serve.

Featured Speakers

Anette Birgersson, Licensed Psychotherapist
Founder, Skills Clinic

Anette Birgersson is a licensed psychotherapist with more than 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents affected by trauma, neuropsychiatric diagnoses, and harmful sexual behaviors. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Prolonged Exposure, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Emotional Regulation Group Therapy, and is a certified TF-CBT trainer.

Widely recognized in her home country of Sweden, Anette has developed culturally responsive treatment programming for youth who have sexually abused and for younger children. After nearly two decades of work in the field, she founded Skills Clinic, through which she provides training and supervision across Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and the United States. Anette also serves on the NAPN Advisory Board and participates on several committees for the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA).

Christin Santiago, CTRS
Director of Recreation, Athletics and Community Programs
Massachusetts Department of Public Health – Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children

Christin Santiago is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist who works with youth experiencing trauma, neuropsychiatric challenges, and harmful sexual behaviors. She currently serves as Executive Director of Skills Clinic in Sweden and the United States, where she has developed innovative therapeutic activities and programs that help youth build emotional regulation and trauma-management skills through movement and activity.

Internationally recognized for her work, Christin has trained and supervised professionals across the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. She has also played a major leadership role in the Special Olympics, earning the title of 2016 Coach of the Year for Special Olympics of Massachusetts. In 2018, she served as Head Athletics Coach for the USA Special Olympics National Games in Seattle, and in 2019 she was inducted into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame. Christin has also served for many years as an Advisory Board Member of the National Adolescent Perpetration Network (NAPN).