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Minority stress and mental health

This workshop focuses on minority stress, barriers to care and health disparities experienced by LGBTQ+/POC. Materials include clinical competencies and training objectives, recommended readings, a PowerPoint presentation, and relevant video segments.


Clinical Competencies and Training Objectives:

  1. Awareness of implicit biases, and overt/covert discrimination, microaggressions, and their impact on mental health.
  2. Knowledge of the unique needs of LGBTQ+/ POC clients in regards to access to and utilization of mental healthcare.  
  3. Awareness of health disparities and health inequity issues including treatment affordability and transportation barriers.
  4. Understand how misinformed stereotypes combined with a lack of diversity in research and treatment may hinder treatment access in LGBTQ+/POC populations.
  5. Gain an understanding of how barriers to treatment (e.g. affordability, transportation, responsibilities, difficulties locating treatment) may influence a client’s attendance and commitment to treatment.
  6. Psychoeducational interventions and community outreach efforts to promote LGBTQ+/POC access to socially affirming minority communities. 
  7. Awareness of the role of the LGBTQ+/POC community and other networks (e.g. religious or faith-based groups) as positive coping resources.
  8. Remove barriers and foster LGBTQ+/POC clients’ access to community affirming networks (e.g. social groups, allied organizations, religious or faith-based groups) to augment positive coping resources.

Recommended Readings: 

    1. Hartman-Munick, S. M., Silverstein, S., Guss, C. E., Lopez, E., Calzo, J. P., & Gordon, A. R. (2021). Eating disorder screening and treatment experiences in transgender and gender diverse young adults. Eating Behaviors, 41, 101517. 
    2. Kattari, S. K., Walls, N. E., Whitfield, D. L., & Langenderfer Magruder, L. (2017). Racial and ethnic differences in experiences of discrimination in accessing social services among transgender/gender-nonconforming people. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 26(3), 217-235. 

Corresponding PowerPoint Presentation:Minority Stress and Mental Health


Recommended Video Segments: 

Segment: Stressors and Mental Health (minute 14:36 – 21:37). Interviewee discusses factors related to their identity that have contributed to stress and mental health problems.


Segment: Coping Mechanisms (minute 1:03:45 – 1:15:49)

Interviewees discuss various ways in which they have coped with minority stress related to the experience of bias, stigma and discrimination.