Maimonides LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Clinic provides supportive, comprehensive services
LGBTQIA+ individuals can encounter stigma, discrimination and lack of competency from service providers in some healthcare settings. The increasing and historically ignored mental health needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals highlight the necessity for services that address the unique challenges faced by this community. In 2021, Maimonides Health launched the LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Clinic, informed by their philosophy to treat the patient, not just their disease, and provide services that consider the influence of a patient’s identity on their health and well-being.
The clinic offers comprehensive mental health services, including psychosocial intakes, psychiatric evaluations, psychological testing, medication management, and individual and group psychotherapy. They collaborate with internal and external specialists for multidisciplinary needs like gender-affirming care or HIV prevention and treatment.
A multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers experienced in LGBTQIA+ mental health treatment provide these services in a supportive, affirming environment. Their goal is to reduce stigma, increase mental health literacy, improve treatment adherence and enhance quality of life for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the Brooklyn community.
Since opening, the clinic has provided specialist care to more than 300 ethnically and socially diverse LGBTQIA+ individuals, including those with severe mental illness, and has partnered with local LGBTQIA+ organizations like the Rainbow Heights Club to enhance outreach and ensure culturally competent services.
This year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation recognized Maimonides for the first time as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer, affirming the health system’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all patients and staff.
For more information, contact Nilar Thwin, MD, MRCPsych, director, LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Clinic, at 718.283.3737.
