NYC Health + Hospitals has partnered with the Institute for Human Identity to develop a training program focused on affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ patients.
IHI, the first and longest-running provider of LGBTQ-affirming psychotherapy, will work with the health system's office of diversity, equity and inclusion on the three-month-long program, according to a Jan. 3 news release.
The training program will focus on the mental health challenges and health disparities faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, along with the impacts of social stigma and minority stress — a form of psycho-emotional stress affecting members of minority groups.
The program will occur in small groups of mental health providers within the health system and "challenge participants to examine and reflect upon their own unconscious biases, assumptions, and negative attitudes about sexual and gender diversity," the release said.