Providing mental health services for LGBT teens in a community adolescent health clinic

D. Medeiros, M. Seehaus, J. Elliott, A. Melaney

Providing mental health services in a public setting to adolescents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) can be difficult due to multiple potential barriers. This article describes the process of successful engagement of these adolescents into services at Mount Sinai's Adolescent Health Center (MSAHC), with emphasis on group treatment. MSAHC is one of the oldest adolescent focused centers in the country that integrates mental health services into primary care. Grant funding supports the center's mission to provide services to teens regardless of ability to pay. The screening process and mental health services available to these adolescents are described. Four different adolescent LGBTQ groups are reviewed, including how the groups were created and the goals of the groups. Problems encountered in the group process are outlined, each of which needed to be resolved in order to maintain the success of the group.[Copies are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Center. The Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580, USA]