June is Pride Month. It was first celebrated in 1970 in gatherings across America commemorating the one-year anniversary of the events at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Since then, Pride has become a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals and continue to uplift this community’s visibility, safety, and immense value. Developmentally, youth may just be beginning to explore their sexual and gender identities. For them, Pride can be an especially important time to feel represented, protected, and affirmed. Today, the blog will discuss experts’ recommendations for supporting the sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth in your life—whether you, yourself, are part of that community, are an ally, or are someone wanting to learn and understand more.
How to Support Your Child
In the U.S., approximately 9.3% of adults identify as LGBTQ+, with as much as 20% of the Gen Z cohort falling into that group. Knowing that younger people are aware of and exploring these identities is important for parents and caregivers. Here are expert tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine for supporting them as they grow and learn about themselves:
- Provide unconditional love and reassurance. Regardless of your level of knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community, validating your child as a person as they learn about themselves is critical: “You don’t need to be an expert in all things LGBTQ to let them know you care. There’s no right or wrong way to express love […] Just be present and open,” says Dr. Errol Lamont Fields of Johns Hopkins.
- On that note, listen to them. Early conversations with a parent about sexuality, gender, coming out, or romantic relationships can be some of the most delicate and formative memories a young person will ever have and can happen at any time. How would you like them to remember these? Don’t assume you know what your child is thinking or experiencing; ask questions, and listen deeply before responding.
- Stay open to learning. If this is new territory for you, there is a lot of quality information out there for you to get a sense of the facts relevant to SGM youth (see further resources below). If you’re a long-time member or ally of the community, it still won’t hurt to brush up on what’s going on for the kids these days, including new vocabulary, trends, and challenges.
- Protect your child. LGBTQ+ youth are at-risk for a variety of difficulties (e.g., bullying, discrimination, mental health concerns, harmful social media/app content). Stay involved in your child’s social, digital, and school life, and advocate for them or set limits to ensure their safety when needed.
How to Support Your Student
By age 4, most kids recognize their gender identity, and many youth start to recognize their sexuality by the middle school years. Given this timeline, the school environment provides a vital backdrop to this developmental period. In awesome news, students who find their schools affirming are at much lower risk of certain mental health concerns. Here are some ways to do that according to the National Education Association:
- Use inclusive language and procedures. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use neutral categories that apply to everyone. For instance, you could sort the class by favorite color instead of dividing by gender, or you could refer to significant other relationships (vs. boyfriends or girlfriends specifically). Universal design can go a long way.
- Have zero tolerance for bullying. According to GLSEN, only 40% of students report anti-SGM bullying to school staff, and only 18-19% of students reported that staff regularly intervened. Keep your eyes peeled proactively for signs of bullying. Know and use your school’s bullying policies and reporting procedures. In the face of harmful comments or microaggressions, encourage empathy and open, but boundaried dialogue in the classroom.
- Amplify voices and representation. Similar to parents, it’s important for teachers and administrators to listen to the real experiences of SGM students to know how to best support them. Also consider learning more about LGBTQ+ student and educational organizations in your school or community (e.g., gay-straight alliances, Pride clubs, GLSEN).
- Learn local legal expectations. Most educational law is enacted at the state level; your school district or administration may have additional directives. There are sometimes policies about subject matter, what you can display, and language you can use in the classroom with regard to sexuality and gender identity. Becoming familiar with the specifics of these will help you learn about ways you can legally uplift and advocate for students, while protecting them and yourself.
How to Support Your Client
Although Pride Month is a time of celebration, it’s also important to acknowledge ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ youthThe 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People indicates that nearly half of SGM youth experienced bullying in the past year, and an equal number aren’t able to get mental health care despite wanting it. The harmful effects are pervasive, but perhaps most seriously include the fact that 39% of LGBTQ+ have seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year (with higher rates for trans youth and people of color). This is a population in need of focused mental health attention and care. Expert tips from the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (SAP) include…
- Be welcoming, inclusive, and curious. What helps a person feel comfortable and included? Are there things in your office or online spaces (e.g., website, social media) that help a youth know it is safe to speak to you about a variety of topics? Are your forms and procedures neutral and open-ended, allowing the youth appropriate space to share their identity? If you’re not sure about something regarding a young person’s identity, do you tactfully ask?
- Consider minority stress in conceptualization and treatment. The client sitting in front of you may be minoritized in multiple ways – sexual orientation, gender identity, race/ethnicity, disability/ability status, etc. As minors, they also may lack self-determination in other senses. It is important to analyze how intersecting memberships in these groups may affect your client’s day-to-day life—as stressors, dangers, disparities, or even protective factors. It is important to be knowledgeable about current events and policies as they create new stress or protection for these communities.
- Try motivational interviewing techniques. According to SAP, “motivational interviewing can be an incredibly important and useful tool given its client-centered and affirmative style approach.” This style of interacting with a youth centers their own experiences, values, goals, and agency and helps providers avoid unintentionally steering therapy goals or imposing cultural norms. Try letting the client lead the way.
- Finally, consult evidence-based and expert-backed therapy practices. SGM clients may or may not seek therapy for identity-related concerns, but finding treatments and approaches that are both effective and sensitive to the needs of this population is an ethical imperative. Luckily, there is a lot of quality information out there on what works best: for instance, the American Psychological Association has documents on both Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People and Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Sexual Minority Persons. Professional associations and peer-reviewed journals are great resources for a further deep dive into this area, as are the resources below.
PracticeWise Connect
Providers can explore PracticeWise On-Demand Learning content on Embracing Diversity to learn more about evidence-based practice with diverse youth, such as SGM individuals.
Further Information
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Gender Identity Development in Children
- Human Rights Campaign: 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Report
- GLSEN
- Mental Health America: Bullying: LGBT Youth
- Nemours Kids Health: Sexual Orientation
- PFLAG
- The Safe Zone Project
- Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
- The Trevor Project : 866-488-7386 or text 678-678 (hotline/textline)
About the Author
Taylor Thompson, Ph.D., serves as a distance learning developer and literature coder on the Services and Products Development team at PracticeWise. Dr. Thompson is a licensed psychologist and has provided psychological services to youth, young adults, and families for over 20 years. She completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology at Florida State University. She specializes in assessing and treating ADHD, learning disorders, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorders, behavioral disorders, and relational concerns. Dr. Thompson is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at Florida State University College of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Thompson on the PracticeWise team page.
