For all therapists with queer and trans clients

• Don't assume that someone's sex assigned at birth is an indication of gender identity.
• Intake form
  • Make sure your intake forms have blank spaces for clients or their parents to fill in their gender and pronouns. If your forms have categories already enumerated, make sure you include "other" options with blank lines for those of us who don't fit into traditional gender or pronoun boxes.
  • Ditto for the spaces on your form for parents: offer at least two spots and don't assume there's one mom and one dad. Some of your clients will undoubtedly have two moms, two dads, or multiple parents — from divorce and remarriage and/or those in polyamorous relationships. A parent may also want to list a non-family caregiver as a contact.
• Use the name and pronouns that each client indicates.
• Some of your clients will need help accepting their sexual orientation or gender identity. You can assist them in embracing and celebrating who they are.
• If your client needs referrals to other health care providers, you can find options here: LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory.

• Do LGBTQ Labels Matter?
• Many LGBTQ youth don't identify with traditional sexual identity labels
• See also these R2T2 resources about identity labels:
  • Identity labels (Why are there so many labels??)
  • Identity labels (Why won't this young person choose a label??)

In addition to what you can find on Google by including your local community’s name in your search terms, here are some other resources that can support them on their journey.

• Schools with GSAs
• Religious communities
• Find out which neighborhoods are queer- or trans-friendly -- a local queer or trans newspaper may be a great place to start.
• Tutors
  • Check with your school GSA above.
  • And see if there's a local LGBTQA+/SGL community center. They may have relevant suggestions.
• Ditto youth-serving organization in your area.
  • Try their websites first.
  • If that doesn't yield any results, drop them an email or give them a call.
  • If you contact one and they don't have a group (or even if they do), they may know another place that does. So be sure to ask.
• Extracurricular activities — check with your school GSAs, local LGBTQA+/SGL community center, or youth-serving organization.
• Summer camps
  • In addition to what's on River's list above, check out the Afro Futures Youth Camp run by Garden of Peace.
• Local crisis groups
  • Contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline to see what local resources exist in your area.
  • Also check with your local LGBTQA+/SGL community center or youth-serving organizations.
• Photographers — check with your local LGBTQA+/SGL community center or youth-serving organizations.
• Sports teams
  • General teams for adults, some of which may be youth-friendly
    • United State Gay Sports Network
    • OutLoud Sports
  • See also the resources on the related Hot Topics page of R2T2.
• Local chapters of
  • GLSEN (click on the "Find Your Chapter" option on the right side of the top row),
  • the GSA Network, and
  • PFLAG.
• And a dozen other resources that you might think of that i haven't.

• Did your local high school just crown its first trans homecoming king? Or did a group of local teens escape with no disciplinary action after they were caught assaulting a feminine bisexual boy in the school locker room?
• In your recent city/town/county election, was a slate of queer- and trans-antagonistic people elected? Or did your school district's superintendent march with students in your most recent Pride parade?
• Does your middle school have a GSA? Or did local parents stage protests when the kindergarten music teacher wanted to have students in the end-of-year ceremony sing a song about rainbows (the real ones that show up in the sky, not the ones on Pride flags)?

None of those things is mutually exclusive, of course. All communities have both queer- and trans-supportive members and those whose goal in life seems to be to make queer and trans young people's lives as miserable as possible.

Other resources

• 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People by State

Although you may not have learned this when getting your degree, part of your role as a therapist is to know what's going on: that's the soup that your young people are swimming in.