Trans-affirming Mental Health Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month is a great opportunity to check in with ourselves to examine what we need to heal and to thrive. Though it’s not always up to us, our mental health has ebbs and flows, all of which require some form of support; be it through a dance party alone in your room, talking to a friend, or seeking professional help. We know it can be difficult to figure out what you need and how to access it, which is why we’ve compiled a list of resources to help you on your journey with your mental health. This guide covers a range of trans-affirming and trans-friendly mental health organizations and groups, with opportunities to start engaging through online options now. Stay safe, and take care of yourselves!

Access Queer and Trans-Identified Mental Health Professionals

• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network 
• QTPOC Mental Health Practitioner Directory
• Therapy for Queer People of Color (QPoC)
• Black Virtual Therapist Network

Resources for accessing other Mental Health Professionals

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Suicide Bereavement Support Group Finder
• Psychology Today: Therapists, Psychiatrists, Treatment Centers, and Support Groups Search Engine
• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): Mental Health Services Locator
• Open Path Psychotherapy Collective provides middle and lower-income level individuals, couples, families, and children with access to affordable psychotherapy and mental health education services. 
• Suicide Prevention Therapist Finder

Support Groups, Guides, and Apps

• HOPE for Bereaved, a non-profit that dedicates itself to helping grieving children, teens and adults by providing free support groups and counseling, as well as offering a help line (315-475-HOPE). They have an LGBT support group in partnership with SAGE: Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders, and are having hybrid in-person and Zoom support group meetings during COVID.
• LGBT Mental Health and Aging Support Guide, Each Mind Matters 
• LGBTQ+ Mental Health Peer Support Group: The LOFT, based in White Plains, NY, hosts this 18+ group (currently over Zoom) the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month from 7:30pm to 9:00pm ET
• Programs and Services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning People with Mental Health and/or Substance Use Disorders, Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
• The Tribe has an LGBTQIA Support Group focused on centering conversation towards mental health while finding community online. They also have groups focused on anxiety, marriage/family, addiction, depression, HIV/AIDS, OCD, and teens.
• QTPoC Mental Health: founded in March 2015, QTPoC Mental Health is a grassroots trans-led org that creates online and offline spaces for trans & queer people of color to practice being our whole selves.
• Calm app offers more than 100 meditation sessions to help you regain control of your thoughts, reduce anxiety, and lower your stress levels.
• We Are More app is geared toward patients with chronic health conditions. The platform offers inspirational content, and helps equip individuals with the skills they need to cope with life’s ups and downs.

Studies, Reports, and Key Findings 

• Trans People With Access to Gender-Affirming Surgery Have Better Mental Health, Them
• Affirming Care for Transgender Older Adults with Loree Cook-Daniels, Dr. Regina Koepp (podcast episode)
• Addressing the Wellness of LGBTQIA Older Adults, Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley
• Behavioral Healthcare for Transgender Adults, National LGBT Health Education Center, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers 
• Caring for the Older LGBTQIA Adult, The Fenway Institute
• Friendship a pillar of survival for LGBTQIA elders, AgingToday
• ‘I’m going to live my life for me’: trans ageing, care, and older trans and gender non-conforming adults’ expectations of and concerns for later life, Cambridge University Press
• Politicians should follow the science on gender-affirmation treatments, The Hill 
• Promoting the Behavioral Health of LGBTQIA Older Adults, Fenway Health
• San Francisco’s Transgender mental health resource page
• Social Network Types and Mental Health Among LGBTQIA Older Adults, The Gerontological Society of America
• Special Considerations in the Mental Health Evaluation of LGBTQIA Elders, The American Journal of Psychiatry: Residents’ Journal
• The Manifestation of Multilevel Stigma in the Lived Experiences of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults, American Journal of Othropsychiatry
• The Trevor Project National Survey 2020
• Trans Students Often Struggle With Mental Health, Inside Higher Ed
• Trans Youth With Access to Early Medical Care Have Better Mental Health Outcomes, Very Well Mind