that is not the norm can be difficult for the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community. Acceptance from family, friends and society at large can be difficult. Hatred from misunderstanding is possible and prejudice is widespread. Some of the issues faced when claiming a sexual identity other than male or female are:
It is of vital importance that one defines who they are, what their sexual identity is and not allow somebody else to choose their sexual identity.
A person’s choice must be respected and if asked by somebody to use their chosen name and pronoun La Ventana staff will respect their choice and use their correct name and pronoun.
At La Ventana we affirm and respect our client’s sexual identity and meet our clients where they are in their life.
Self-acceptance for the 2S/LGBTQIA+ can be difficult as society’s view may conflict with theirs. Some members take years to reach a self-acceptance of who they are while others may do it much quicker. Social stories told about someone based on their sex assigned at birth by family, school, peers, parents, friends etc. may conflict with their identity. If the social story does not fit with the person it can be difficult to accept the part of oneself that doesn’t fit the mold.
At La Ventana we understand the difficulty of self-acceptance in the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community and meet the client where they are in their own self-acceptance.
Staff is trained in affirmative therapy approaches that validate and affirm the identities of LGBTQIA+ clients. This includes using inclusive language, respecting chosen names and pronouns, and avoiding assumptions about clients’ sexual orientation or gender identity. La Ventana Staff is aware of the unique issues faced by LGBTQIA+ youth, elders, and people of color within the community.
Emphasize the intersectionality of identities within the LGBTQIA+ community, recognizing that individuals may experience discrimination and marginalization based on multiple factors such as race, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, etc. La Ventana staff are mindful of these intersecting identities and how they may influence mental health experiences and treatment needs.
La Ventana staff are trained on addressing and challenging biases and discrimination within oneself and among colleagues. La Ventana staff understand the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment free from judgment or prejudice.
Being a member of the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community can be an inherently stressful experience due to stigma and discrimination from interpersonal relationships and the environment one lives in. This may lead to mental health difficulties that negatively affect one’s life and further provide false evidence that 2S/LGBTQIA+ people are different which continues a cycle of oppression. La Ventana staff are aware of subtleties that cause stress to the clients and understand the stress they have experienced.
These are all connected in our world and there are many things in the world around us that can have influence over our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. These influences (whatever they be) have an impact on our life and we may or may not be aware. The 2S/LGBTQIA+ community has additional negative influences due to prejudice and discrimination to name a few.
Understanding what influences us is helpful. Clients Write things down that are disturbing and then discuss them in group. It could be people, groups, institutions, laws, politics, social norms or any number of things. La Ventana staff understand the thoughts, feeling and behaviors occurring with the clients.
Resilience is a collection of coping strategies and each person collects new strategies throughout their life.
The core of one’s own resilience as a 2S/LGBTQIA+ person is your ability to define your gender identity and sexual orientation for yourself and the core resilience strategy is:
Emotional distress as mental health challenges such as adverse childhood experiences, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and attempts. This stress theory is used to explain the effects of the unique stressors experienced by 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals. Studies have found that these individuals reported significantly higher mean totals of adverse childhood experiences than their heterosexual peers. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, peer victimization, alienation, prejudice, bullying exacerbate the poorer mental health outcomes of this population.
Stigmatization, discrimination, victimization and social exclusion as mental health challenges. The stigmatization, discrimination and violence that 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals suffer during their lifetime related to their sexual and gender minority status undeniably affect their mental health status. Distress and dysfunction (family, social, work or scholastic) were strongly predicted in transgender individuals who experienced social rejection and violence. Stigma is defined as ‘the co-occurrence of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination in a context in which power is exercised’. Stigma presents itself in different ways. Overtly expressed, enacted stigma takes the form of explicit behaviors, such as labelling, discrimination, and violence, targeting people because of their perceived gender nonconformity. Covert stigmatization includes policy statements that used stigmatizing terminology and perpetuated anti- 2SLGBTQIA+ prejudice in society. Stigma restricts health access to 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals, be it structural stigma based on institutional processes or felt stigma based on an internal awareness that the potential for stigma exists in a specific situation.
Barriers to mental healthcare services as a mental health challenge. How barriers to accessing mental healthcare services contributed to unmet healthcare needs amongst 2S/LGBTQIA+ people. The mental health disparities that 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals suffer are explained by differences in social factors, discrimination, lower levels of social support and systemic exclusion from healthcare services. Mental healthcare providers highlighted low practitioner knowledge of 2S/LGBTQIA+ issues and the stereotyping of 2S/LGBTQIA+ clients as barriers. The 2S/LGBTQIA+ individuals experience subtle ways of stigma and discrimination, such as being overlooked (‘not having a voice’) and being stereotyped during a consultation.
At La Ventana we provide the ‘Affirming Therapists’ (a therapist sensitive, affirming, inclusive and compassionate towards 2S/LGBTQIA+ issues).
At La Ventana Treatment Programs we acknowledge that it is important to recognize that sexual identity is fluid and can change over time for individuals. Additionally, everyone’s experience of their sexual identity is unique, and it’s essential to respect and affirm each person’s self-identified orientation.
