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Elder Abuse: A Challenge to the Mental Health System
As the elder boom gathers momentum over the next 25 years, there will be more and more victims of elder abuse. America’s mental health system is not prepared to respond appropriately. It is not prepared to effectively engage victims, who are often suspicious of offers of help; it is not...
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NYS Office of Mental Health Announces “1,700 Too Many” Statewide Suicide Prevention Plan
The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced the release of an extensive, multifaceted plan for suicide prevention, aimed at reducing New York State’s suicide rate. To guide suicide prevention statewide, 1,700 Too Many: New York State’s Suicide Prevention Plan will empower...
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Transgender and HIV: Stigma and Discrimination Can No Longer Have a Place in Healthcare
In the past five or six years, I was privileged to be invited by several non-profit organizations and universities to deliver cultural humility trainings and presentations about transgender identities and experiences, and how to improve services to meet the needs of the transgender community. As a...
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Understanding Eating Disorders in Gay Males
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders estimate that men account for 1 million of the roughly 8 million Americans that suffer from eating disorders (McMurray, 2013). Within the gay community there is a hidden epidemic of eating disorders. Gay men are up to three times...
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What This Parent of a Transgender Child Wants You to Know
I am the proud mother of two young men, but I didn’t always know I had two sons. For 15 years, I believed I was raising a daughter. My younger child, who I now know is my son, is transgender. My husband and I supported his transition, at 15, from female to male. I’ve been criticized and...
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Behavioral Health, the LGBTQ Community, and Managed Care
A wise man once said that at times of sweeping transformation, “all that is solid melts into air.” As the delivery system responds to changes driven by the transition to Medicaid managed care and, ultimately, value-based payment, many are concerned about meeting the needs of historically...
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Clinical Work with Transgender Individuals
The first step toward clinical work with any client involves understanding the individual, their reasons for seeking treatment, and the goals they hope to accomplish through therapy. It is important to remember that every client is unique regardless of the aspects that may be used to describe them,...
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LGBTQ Parenting Issues
Adolescence is a time for growth and exploration. In the best of circumstances, children are encountering new experiences, making new friends, pushing limits and testing boundaries, and withdrawing from family to be with friends during this time of rapid development. They are learning social skills...
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Substance Use and Treatment Services for the LGBTQ Community
Research reveals that individuals who identify as being part of the LGBTQ community represent a higher percentage of substance users as compared to those who do not identify. In fact, there are estimates to maintain that about 20 to 30 percent of the LGBTQ population is using substances as compared...
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BHN Fall 2016 Issue
"Behavioral Health and the LGBTQ Community” Articles in This...
