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Arbor Circle’s SAFLY (Supportive Assistance for Families and LGBTQI+ Youth) project will promote wellbeing for LGBTQI+ youth within their family/caregiver and community environments. SAFLY will engage LGBTQI+ youth and their families/caregivers in counseling and support programs that aim to reduce rejection and behavioral health risks. This project will also bring together systems and community organizations that engage with youth/families to support increased acceptance and understanding, training on successful interventions and awareness of available services. The following goals and objectives are identified for the project: Goal 1: Build a referral network of first contacts with LGBTQI+ youth Obj. 1. Complete an MOU with public school districts in Kent County and Ottawa County to provide referrals to SAFLY family therapy program within 3 months of the award. Obj. 2. Obtain an MOU from local Community Mental Health in Kent (Network180) and Ottawa County (Ottawa County Community Mental Health) to provide referrals to SAFLY family therapy program within 3 months of the award. Obj. 3. Within 3 months of the award, establish a dedicated phone and email contact for LGBTQI+ youth seeking family therapy services. Obj. 4. Within 6 months of the award, train after-hours staff to receive self-referrals from LGBTQI+ youth seeking family therapy services. Goal 2: Develop a comprehensive training plan in evidence-based practices Obj. 1. Train 100% of staff in evidence-based practices by 4 months of the award. Obj. 2. Hire 2 dedicated therapists specializing in family services within 3 months of the award to provide LGBTQI+ family therapy services. Obj. 3. Offer 4 community trainings about family counseling interventions per year for LGBTQI+ youth-serving organizations and providers. Goal 3: Increase awareness, outreach and education in the community to increase utilization of LGBTQI+ family therapy services. Obj. 1. Within 6 months of the award, form an LGBTQI+ youth and family advisory workgroup of LGBTQI+ youth, parents or caregivers of LGBTQI+ youth, behavioral health providers trained in Evidence Based practices, and other community stakeholders. Obj. 2. Within 4 months of the award, develop a public awareness and communications plan using feedback from persons with lived experience to enhance messaging. Obj. 3. Conduct one outreach event per quarter to increase awareness of family counseling services available to families of youth in the LGBTQI+ community. Obj. 4. Distribute 500 flyers annually within schools and community organizations to increase awareness of the program. Obj. 5. Solicit feedback annually from persons with lived experiences on the outreach plan and impact to date to obtain suggestions for improvement. Goal 4: Serve 220 LGBTQI+ youth and their families. Obj. 1. Within 4 months of the award, assign a dedicated clinician with experience working with LGBTQI+ youth to each of the service counties (Kent and Ottawa) to facilitate referrals, plan outreach events, and coordinate service delivery. Obj. 2. Implement evidence-based services to provide LGBTQI+ youth and family counseling within 6 months of the award. Obj. 3. Provide family counseling to 220 families of LGBTQI+ youth.

Project REACH aims to prevent health and behavioral health risk and promote well-being by reducing rejection and increasing family/caregiver acceptance for Hispanic/Latinx LGBTQIA+ Spanish speaking youth ages 13+ and their families, including Spanish speaking and new immigrants.

Title: Family Focused Counseling for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex+ (LGBTQI+) Youth at Risk for Suicide: A Community-Partnered Initiative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex+ (LGBTQI+) youth living in Pennsylvania are at high risk for adverse mental health outcomes, including suicide. In the state of Pennsylvania there are an estimated 74,000 LGBTQI+ youth, with 71% identifying as White, 6% Black, 7% Latinx, 4% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1% Middle Eastern/Northern African, and 11% more than one race/ethnicity. In 2019, the School District of Philadelphia reported that in the past 12 months, 27% of LGBTQI+ high school students had attempted suicide, compared to 14.6% of students overall. Additionally, 46.1% of LGBTQI+ students had considered suicide, compared to 16.4% of students overall. The proposed project will take place at Thomas Jefferson University and the David Farber Advancement of Suicide Prevention, Intervention, Research, and Education (ASPIRE) Center and has the potential to address this clear public health need among LGBTQI+ youth in Pennsylvania and improve care both for youth who require a higher level of care at the ASPIRE Center as well as youth earlier in the development of mental health disorders receiving care at community-based organizations. Almost half of the respondents (48%) of the Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment stated that they have had thoughts of harming themselves. Among those respondents, 83.3% first experienced these thoughts of self-harm at the age of 19 or younger. 50.6% of respondents disclosed that they have contemplated suicide at some stage in their life. Additionally, the data found that queer young adults and youths (24 or younger) are more at-risk, with 90.4% reporting mental health challenges in the past 12-months. Suicide was identified as a top priority by 35.5% percent of respondents, making it the third highest prioritized mental health concern and particularly in participants aged 20 and younger, who reported suicide as a top priority 48.6% of the time. These findings underscore the critical importance of strengthening support systems for LGBTQI+ youth and their families to effectively address these prevalent mental health challenges. The proposed project seeks to achieve the following goals and objectives to address this public health need: 1) Enhance availability of family-focused suicide prevention services for LGBTQI+ youth in Philadelphia with the creation of an ASPIRE Center LGBTQI+ youth track 2) Strengthen state-wide upstream prevention efforts to promote family counseling and support for LGBTQI+ youth prior to the development of adverse clinical outcomes 3) Establish ASPIRE Center as a known community-partnered mental health organization providing evidence-based family counseling and support for LGBTQI+ youth. The Attic Youth Center, Philadelphia FIGHT, and the Mazzoni Center have agreed to support the proposed project activities, including coordinating referral pathways with the ASPIRE Center and providing representatives for the LGBTQI+ youth and family advisory workgroup that will act as a key partner in the implementation of all grant activities.

The North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI) is proposing a program to prevent health and behavioral health risks (e.g., suicide, depression, homelessness, drug use, HIV) and to promote well-being for LGBTQI+ youth in the context of their families/caregivers, cultures, and communities in Essex County, NJ, with a focus on Newark. NJCRI will serve 250 unduplicated individuals annually with grant funds and 750 over the entire project period. Project name. Essex County LGBTQI+ Family Support Program Populations to be served. PCOM’s population of focus (POF) will be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and Intersex + (LGBTQI+) youth and their families/caregivers, with a focus on Black populations in particular. The catchment area where services will be delivered is Essex County, NJ, with a focus on Newark. Strategies/interventions. Program activities will include: 1) develop and implement an outreach and engagement strategy plan to connect LGBTQI+ youth and their families with counseling and supports; 2) develop and implement a public awareness communications plan to engage families of LGBTQI+ youth and promote family support; 3) develop and implement screening and referral protocols to identify LGBTQI+ youth and their families needing family counseling and support services; 4) identify and coordinate referral pathways with community-based service providers for LGBTQI+ youth referred to the family counseling program; 5) develop and implement a training and workforce development plan for its internal mental health counselors, case managers, and supervisors, on the implementation of the Family Acceptance Project; 6) implement the Family Acceptance Project; 7) establish an LGBTQI+ youth and family advisory workgroup; 8) develop and implement training sessions about family counseling intervention(s) for LGBTQI+ youth-serving, community-based organizations and providers; 9) coordinate efforts and access relevant TA and resources; and 10) provide peer and family support services through its Parents Partnering as Peers program. NJCRI will also implement the following EBPs: the Family Acceptance Project, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); Motivational Interviewing (MI); and Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Project goals and measurable objectives. The program’s goal is to prevent health and behavioral health risks (e.g., suicide, depression, homelessness, drug use, HIV) and to promote well-being for LGBTQI+ youth in the context of their families/caregivers, cultures, and communities by establishing a LGBTQI+ family counseling and support programs and training providers on family counseling and support interventions. Objectives for the proposed program include: 1) Conduct outreach and engagement strategies, reaching up to 500 persons from the POF per year; 2) Conduct a public awareness campaign to engage families of LGBTQI+ youth and promote family support of such youth, reaching 5,000 individuals per year; 3) Screen and assess at least 250 persons from the POF per year needing family counseling and support services; 4) Partner with at least 6 community-based organizations per year to receive referrals to the family counseling program for LGBTQI+ youth who have a diagnosed mental or substance use disorder and need more intensive or long-term clinical services; 5) Implement the evidence-based Family Acceptance Project family counseling project for at least 100 members of the POF per year; 6) Convene an LGBTQI+ youth and family advisory workgroup that meets quarterly; and 7) Provide training in family counseling interventions to at least 25 LGBTQI+ youth-serving, community-based organizations and providers.