UpLift’s Post

🌈 Celebrating Pride with Purpose at Ellie Mental Health 🌈 This Pride Month, Ellie Mental Health goes beyond the rainbow graphics and swag giveaway to make a lasting impact. They are not just celebrating but also advocating for change. Did you know that 60% of LBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year could not get it? Or do nearly half of the LBTQ+ youth consider suicide? These statistics are not just numbers; they are a call to action. As one of the nation's leading mental health companies, Ellie believes they are responsible for positively impacting these statistics. That's why, for Pride Month, they are educating clinicians and communities about the importance of providing ethical care to the LBGTQ+ community. They are raising awareness about the gaps in care and working towards accessible mental health care for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Join Ellie in celebrating Pride with purpose. Let's all make a difference together. https://lnkd.in/gBvwhAZQ #PrideMonth #LGBTQ+ #MentalHealthAwareness #EllieMentalHealth #Pride2024

Suicide is a complex and deeply concerning issue that affects communities worldwide. Often surrounded by stigma and silence, suicide rates among communities of color have become a growing concern. Breaking the silence and promoting mental health awareness are crucial steps towards addressing this issue and providing support to those in need. ##LGBTQ #accesstoresources #awareness #communitiesofcolor #culturalbarriers #intersectionality #MentalHealth #mentalhealthprofessionals #preventionprograms #Stigma #Suicide

Happy to share the publication of the book "Social Media and Youth Mental Health" 📚 , featuring a chapter I co-authored with Linda Charmaraman and Faith Arimoro. Our chapter, "Sexuality and Media: Exploration and Exploitation," delves into the complex relationship between media and youth sexuality 📱 In this chapter, we highlight the significant role of digital media in facilitating the challenging process of youth sexual development. We explore the impact of youth's sexual digital media activities, including relationship dynamics online, [non-]consensual sexting, and pornography use. Additionally, we focus on the internet's role for LGBTQ+ youth, emphasizing the support it provides. https://lnkd.in/eATjuXeR

My practice, Vada Counseling, specializes in therapy for and by queer Texans. Read below to learn about the four core values that inform everything we do! 🌈 1. Accessibility - We believe safe, supportive, affirming mental health care is a human right. Healthcare in this country has been (and is) designed for and by very privileged groups: namely, white, middle- and upper-class, cisgender, straight individuals. We work to actively disrupt this pattern by minimizing gatekeeping and centering historically oppressed groups and their mental health needs. To increase accessibility, we offer teletherapy options, flexible schedules, free consultations and services including support letters for gender-affirming care, and a wide variety of payment options, including sliding scale. 2. Authenticity - As queer Texans, we understand all too well the negative psychological effects of suppressing or hiding our true selves. We also know that living authentically is difficult and even unsafe in the face of the dominant white, cis- and heteronormative, capitalistic standards of “respectability.” With that in mind, we prioritize the physical and psychological safety of our clients and staff; we aim to offer therapy as a space for folks to be their true selves, free from invalidation, hatred, and harm. We believe clients are the experts of their own lives and our role as therapists and advocates is to listen, support, educate, and empower them to live authentically and in alignment with their own values. We encourage all clients and staff to express themselves in ways that affirm their various intersecting identities. 3. Community - We believe community is an important component of health and wellness. None of us can survive without the support and care of others, so we’re intentional about how we interact with and contribute to our local communities as well as the larger LGBTQ+ community in Texas. Strong communities foster social connection, trust, resilience, a sense of belonging, identity, and purpose, and protect against stress, mental illness, and suicide. As an organization, we actively participate in community events and outreach, volunteer our time and services, and donate a portion of our income to local LGBTQ+ organizations. 4. Social Justice - We are dedicated to acknowledging and dismantling oppressive systems that only serve to create and exacerbate trauma, destruction, violence, exploitation, separation, inequality, and psychological pain. These systems include but are not limited to racism and white supremacy, sexism, cis- and heteronormativity, ableism, capitalism, (settler) colonialism, imperialism, medicalization, and the prison-industrial complex. We openly and loudly stand against these harmful systems and advocate for liberation, justice, and self-determination for ALL.

Happy Pride Month!! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🎉 Pride is a time to celebrate just how wonderful the LGBTQIA+ community is and to shower the world with rainbows and glitter. 🌈🌈🎉 But we need to remember that mental health problems such as depression, self-harm, addiction and suicidal thoughts are more common among people who are LGBTQIA+. LGBTQIA+ people can experience really tough times linked to their sexual and/or gender identity which affects their mental health, such as discrimination, homophobia or transphobia, social isolation, rejection, and difficult experiences of coming out. A study by Stonewall found that over the previous year: - half of LGBTQIA+ people had experienced depression, and three in five had experienced anxiety -one in eight LGBTQIA+ people aged 18 to 24 had attempted to end their life -almost half of trans people had thought about taking their life. Pretty sad stats. But there is help out there. 👇🏼 Look after each other 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🌈🫂 and have a great Pride 💕 #pridemonth #proudtobeLGBTQ #mentalhealthmatters #suicideawareness

#QueerClass In week 4, my class on social work practice with LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and communities, we had our first class of two on bodies, minds, and development. For our first session, we focused a lot on how social workers can be a part of reducing loneliness and isolation. To prepare for class, we read Hayden Dawes, LCSW, LCAS and colleagues' systematic review on experiences of queer people of color in mental health care and substance use treatment: https://lnkd.in/gNjwWnHd and Trey Jenkins' piece on (un)belonging and the production of Black trans loneliness https://lnkd.in/g56tqKza We also watched this video on LGBTQ+-affirmative therapy: https://lnkd.in/gQNZikap and heard from trans adolescents about their experiences seeking healthcare https://lnkd.in/g29AhgaM In the first part of class, we discussed identity development using an intersectional approach. Certainly, identity development can involve feeling different or confused, exploration, coming out (or perhaps rather inviting in) or being outed, disclosure, labeling, immersion in queer community, distrust of dominant culture, sexual relationships, romantic relationships, navigating stigma, and internalized oppression. However, there isn't a specific right way to be queer in sexuality or gender and those processes are shaped by a lot of societal and contextual factors. We focused the latter half of class time on pondering a few big questions. 1. Posed by Trey Jenkins: What structural forces work together to isolate Black trans people from broader society, creating conditions for loneliness? 2. What are forces that would create conditions for connection and joy? 3. What are barriers to accessing care for LGBTQ+ people? 4. What are facilitators that would lower or overcome those barriers? In our next class, we dive deeper into both gender-affirming care and what LGBTQ+-affirming practice looks like across settings, contexts, and the lifespan from kids to elders. I'm also currently grading folks' history and legacy assignments and am enjoying seeing how these students are applying lessons from queer movement builders, elders, and leaders to social work practice today.

I am happy to share the latest findings from our collaborative research team, which has brought together insightful minds  from the USA, Spain, and Denmark In our recent study, we delved into a crucial aspect often overlooked: the impact of minority stressors specific to LGBTQ+ individuals across various developmental stages. 🏳️🌈 Our research focused on the long-term effects of LGBTQ+ identity-related abuse during childhood, a topic typically overlooked in the traditional adverse childhood experiences framework. 🎯 Objective: Our study aimed to understand the role of cisheterosexism and expressive suppression as serial mediators in the relationship between identity-related abuse during childhood and mental health outcomes, particularly depressive symptoms and suicide behavior. 💡 Key Findings: We discovered a positive indirect effect of identity-related abuse on depressive symptoms through cumulative cisheterosexism, as well as via cumulative cisheterosexism and expressive suppression. Moreover, an indirect effect was identified for identity-related abuse on suicide behavior through cumulative cisheterosexism. This research underscores the importance of acknowledging and addressing minority stressors in the LGBTQ+ community and encourages us to work toward a more inclusive and supportive society. 🤝🌍 I want to express my gratitude to the incredible research team Ruby Charak, PhD Inés Cano González Rachel Schmitz Sidsel Karsberg, and the participants who made this study possible. Together, we're advancing our understanding of LGBTQ+ mental health and striving for a brighter, more inclusive future. 🙏🏳️🌈 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dkcmz9dv #LGBTQ+ #Research #MentalHealth #Inclusivity #Equality #ScienceForGood

Your #genderidentity isn’t a #mentalillness. But if you’re a person who identifies as #transgender or gender nonconforming, the way society treats you can take a toll on your mental health. Part of your self-care may be to work through any stress and trauma with a #genderaffirming therapist. Check out this helpful WebMD article to learn more. #NVFP #conciergemedicine https://lnkd.in/gfZeSieN

Very excited to have contributed a chapter to this book alongside my colleague, Dr James Lea. Our chapter is titled ‘Clinical Formulation’ and we discuss theory, context and important considerations for formulating #mentalhealth difficulties with sexual minority folk, with examples! 🏳️🌈 #formulation #clinicalpsychology #psychology #psychologist #LGBTQ #LGBT #gay #lesbian #bisexual https://lnkd.in/ezdMeZ7E

How Teens View and Manage Social Media's Influence on Their Mental Health A new report explores how teens perceive social media's impact on their mental health, detailing both its benefits and drawbacks. Conducted by Common Sense Media and Hopelab the research highlights the complex role social media plays in young lives, including those of people of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and those with depression. Teens value social media for its social connection, self-expression, and information, but they also report negative effects on attention span, confidence, and overall contentment. The study found that nearly half of the participants experienced depression to some degree, with LGBTQ+ youth particularly affected. However, many teens use social media to find supportive resources and curate their feeds positively. The findings emphasize the need to listen to young people's experiences to improve their well-being. Parental involvement and open communication are crucial, as many young adults regret early social media use and wish their parents had set stricter boundaries. https://lnkd.in/eSUDVf_A #lgbtq #mentalhealth #psychotherapy #psychotherapist #youthmentalhealth #socialmedia