Happy Pride Month! Mental Health Resources for LGBTQIA+ People
Pride month is a time for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies to come together in solidarity to celebrate and embrace identity. We want to remind our families and caregivers that your support and acceptance of your loved one’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression directly impacts their mental wellness and personal safety. We also want to remind families that resources for LGBTQIA+ people and those who care about them do exist!
Unfortunately, LGBTQIA+ individuals often face discrimination making it difficult to access quality treatment for mood disorders. Many people learn that not all mental health providers understand their experiences. These negative interactions with providers can mean our loved ones are less likely to seek help when they need it most.
What can you do? Get familiar with these reputable mental health resources created for LGBTQIA+ people and share them with your loved ones.
National Crisis Resources
Crisis Text Line
Crisis Text Line connects texters with trained volunteer Crisis Counselors to help resolve times of crisis. This service tries to match texters with Crisis Counselors who have shared lived experience. Learn more: www.crisistextline.org
- Text ‘LGBTQ’ to 741 741
- Hours: Available 24/7
- Cost: Standard messaging rates apply
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning young people under 25. Learn more: www.thetrevorproject.org
TrevorLifeline
- Phone: 1-866-488-7386
- Hours: Available 24/7
- Cost: Free
TrevorText
- Text the word “Trevor” to 1-202-304-1200
- Hours: Monday through Friday between 3pm to 10pm ET/ Noon- 7pm PT
- Cost: Standard messaging rates apply
TrevorChat: Online instant messaging with a TrevorChat counselor.
- Enter the online portal on The Trevor Project’s Website
- Hours: 7 days a week, 3pm to 10pm ET/ Noon – 7pm PT
- Cost: Free
Trans Lifeline
Trans Lifeline is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the well being of transgender people. The hotline is staffed by transgender people for transgender people. Learn more: www.translifeline.org
- US Phone: 1-877-565-8860
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- Hours: Every day of the week from 11am to 5am ET
- Family & Friends Hotline: 1-877-565-8860 and ask for the Family & Friends Line
- Cost: Free
Pride Institute
Available 24/7, this organization provides a chemical dependency and mental health referral and information hotline for the LGBTQ Community.
- Phone: 1-800-547-7433
Local Resources
Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index
The Human Rights Campaign provides the national LGBTQ benchmarking tool, which evaluates healthcare facilities’ policies and practices related to LGBTQ patients, visitors, and employees.
- Search the Healthcare Equality Index to see what local facilities have been evaluated in your area.
- Cost: Free
GLMA Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality
GLMA works to ensure equality in healthcare for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and healthcare providers. They offer a directory for patients to connect with LGBT welcoming providers. Learn more: www.glma.org
- Provider Directory
- Hours: 24/7
- Cost: Free
It Gets Better Project
The It Gets Better Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. Their website offers education, stories, and directory of local resources to help get the support your loved one needs. Learn more: www.itgetsbetter.org
- Get the Support You Need
- Hours: 24/7
- Cost: Free
Education
- What You Can Do to Support LGBTQ+ Youth at Risk of Depression and Suicide, Families for Depression Awareness article for parents and caring adults supporting teens and young adults.
- Helping Families Support Their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Children, a report that provides information about sexual orientation and gender identity to help friends, family, and other adults support LGBT children and adolescents.
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A Practitioner’s Resource Guide: Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children, a resource guide that offers information and resources to help practitioners throughout health and social service systems implement best practices in engaging and helping families and caregivers to support their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) children.
- Reducing LGBTQ+ Teen Suicidal Behavior, Care for Your Mind article written by Susan Weinstein.
Other Resources for LGBTQIA+ Families
- Lori’s Caregiver Story of Living with Depression, Families for Depression Awareness family story centering a caregiver’s experience supporting her son to claim his gender identity and manage depression
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a comprehensive page on LGBTQI mental health risk factors and how to find providers.
- The Depression Looks Like Me program, a resource sponsored by FFDA Corporate Member Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and supported by an alliance of seven partners, aims to educate and empower LGBTQ+ people with depression. It includes inspiring personal stories from people with lived experience.
- The National Center for Transgender Equality offers a guide on how to support the transgender people in your life.
This list is not exhaustive! If you know of another mental health resource for LGBTQIA+ people please share it with us. Email info@familyaware.org, mark the subject line “LGBTQ resource.”
Last revised: May 2023