Gregory Canillas
M.A., Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Soul 2 Soul Global/Antioch University
Gregory Canillas
Dr. Gregory Canillas brings extensive direct systems experience to this topic. He previously served as a Children’s Social Worker with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and later as a Clinical Psychologist within the Department of Mental Health (DMH), working with adolescents navigating trauma, placement instability, and identity-based stress. He developed and implemented an adolescent treatment program at Drew Child Development Corporation’s Foster Family Agency, designing interventions centered on mentorship, relational stability, and culturally responsive care for youth in out-of-home placement.
Dr. Canillas has presented nationally and internationally on adolescent development, mentorship, trauma-informed care, and the intersection of ethnicity and mental health, including at the American Psychological Association, the Association of Black Psychologists, and the Society for Cross-Cultural Research. He has also been a featured speaker at EDGY and the ICAN Grief and Trauma Conference. His cross-system experience uniquely positions him to address mentorship as both a clinical and structural intervention for queer youth in care.
SESSION OVERVIEW
When One Adult Changes Everything: The Lifesaving Power of Mentorship for LGBTQ+ Youth in Care
LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately represented in foster care and face elevated risks of family rejection, placement instability, depression, suicidality, and school disruption. For many queer youth navigating systems of care, one consistent, affirming adult can significantly alter developmental outcomes.
This interactive workshop examines mentorship as a protective and stabilizing intervention through three models: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Operation JumpStart. While operating at different structural levels, these programs demonstrate how structured adult advocacy can buffer trauma, promote identity affirmation, and increase educational and relational stability.
Participants will examine the unique developmental and systemic vulnerabilities LGBTQ+ youth experience within child welfare systems and explore how mentorship differs from—and complements—clinical intervention. The session will address the role of mentors as advocates, affirming witnesses, and relational anchors, while highlighting how cultural humility, pronoun affirmation, and identity safety directly influence mentoring outcomes.
Through facilitated discussion and an applied case vignette, attendees will identify practical collaboration strategies between clinicians and mentors, explore common mentoring missteps, and develop concrete interventions that strengthen resilience and long-term stability.
Participants will leave with actionable tools for integrating mentorship into treatment planning, strengthening agency partnerships, and advancing systems-level advocacy for queer youth in care. This session moves beyond affirming language toward structured relational intervention, demonstrating how one adult relationship can function as a lifeline.