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An Intersectional Resource Guide to LGBTQIA2S+ Mental Health

In 2023, Mental Health America conducted a survey on LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health. It found that of the 4.5% of LGBTQ+ identifying individuals in the US, 39% (5.8 million people) reported having a mental illness in the past year. Additionally, the Trevor Project’s 2023 National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People found that 41% of LGBTQ+ Youth, ages 14-24, considered suicide in the last year. 56% of Queer Youth wanted access to therapy and were not able to receive it. Only 38% of Queer Youth found their homes affirming. JMU students are in no doubt among this population.

It is for this reason this resource is being created, to provide further support and bridge the access gap for mental wellness and care for LGBTQ+ students on JMU’s campus. This document includes resources for therapy, gender affirming care, community, education, and belonging, as there is a direct correlation between the access to these resources and the quality of mental health in LGBTQ+ Youth.

You can read more about the findings mentioned above here:  

Self-Care & Self Help

Check out SOGIE’s Resiliency in Self Care LGBTQ+ Reflection Journal for queer specific journal prompts! 

  • 3-3-3 Rule - Name three things you can see, three things you can hear, three things you can touch.  
  • 5 to 1 Technique - Name: 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste.  
  • Rainbow Grounding- Name an object for every color of the rainbow! (ROYGBIV) 
  • 4-7-8 Breath Technique – can be used for anxiety and panic attacks, breath in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds 
  • Apps that can help 
    • Finch 

The JMU Counseling center has even more grounding, relaxation techniques, and self-care tips. 

 

  • Meditation - Can be done sitting or lying down, with or without blankets and pillows for support! Meditation can help improve focus, resilience and compassion, reduce stress, and so much more!  
  • Journaling - can help you manage stress, anxiety, and depression! It can also improve self-awareness and communication skills! 
  • Light exercise - Exercise comes in all shapes and sizes! Light exercise everyday can boost your mood by releasing endorphins in your brain that make you feel good! 
  • Breathing exercises- techniques like belly breathing (breathing deeply in through your diaphragm), Alternate nostril breathing (breathing in through one nostril, covering it, then exhaling through the other nostril), and others are a great way to relax. This pairs really well with mediation!  
  • Apps that can help  
    • Breathwrk  
    • Breath2Relax 

The JMU Counseling center has even more grounding, relaxation techniques, and self-care tips. 

  • Developing Daily Routine that may include  
  • Showering/Washing Hair 
  • Brushing Your Teeth 
  • Washing Your Face 
  • Getting Out of Bed/Making Your Bed 
  • Self-Affirmations and Gratitude practice.  
  • Apps that can help 
    • Finch 
    • Habitica  

The JMU Counseling center has even more grounding, relaxation techniques, and self-care tips. 

Resources for Queer Students
  • JMU Counseling  
    • The JMU Counseling Center offers several resources including walk-in appointments, the Oasis and Studio Spaces, and queer specific group therapy. They also offer virtual care through Timely Care. 
  • National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network: 
    • NQTTCN has several sources, including crisis lines, identity specific therapist directories, and a fund that supports TQBIPOC individuals receiving healthcare.  
  • GLMA, Health Professional Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality 
    • GLMA provides resources to educate and empower LGBTQ+ patients. They have a healthcare directory as well as a link to find a provider.   
  • Trans @ JMU Guide 
    • Check-out our other resource guide that shares many on campus and local resources to healthcare. 
  • Whitman Walker 
    • For over fifty years, Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of the local DC and national community as first responder and care-provider for those living with HIV. They accept insurance and will even help those who are uninsured navigate obtaining insurance.  
  • Virginia Transgender Resource and Referral List. 
    • “The List” is a forty-two-page informational resource on behalf of Virginia HIV Community Planning Group. They have resources listed by geographic region of the state and need, whether legal, medical, or mental health related. 
  • Point of Pride 
    • Point of Pride provides incredible access to gender affirming care, including funds for gender affirming surgery, HRT, electrolysis (permanent hair removal), wigs and other gender affirming clothing, as well as provide free binders and femme shapewear to members of the community who cannot afford or safely acquire them. 
  • The Transgender Health Alliance of Central Virgina 
    • Transgender Health Alliance of Central Virginia works to ensure affordable, respectful, comprehensive healthcare for every member of the transgender community through education, advocacy, and outreach. They manage a continuously growing database of Trans* affirming practices. 
  • Shenandoah LGBTQ+ Center 
    • The site has affirming healthcare locations in the area, but you can also connect with a community health worker to get referrals, health education, and appointment transportation.  
  • Friendly City Safe Space and Riverside Family Support. 
    • A partnership through Riverside Family Support and the Friendly City Safe Space that provides a support group for mental health.  
  • Trevor Project:  
    • The Trevor Project is a wide-reaching resource that includes crisis lines and the Trevor Space, which connects LGBTQ+ Youth ages 15-24. They have been responding to the LGBTQ+ Youth crisis for 25 years. 
  • Trans Women of Color Collective 
    • An expansive coalition with several initiatives, including the Black Trans health initiative, a healing and restorative justice initiative, and several community funds. They hold workshops that educate Black Trans folks and white allies.   
  • JMU SOGIE Affinity Groups 
    • SOGIE’s student affinity groups are identity or interest specific, student-led groups. The groups being offered change each semester based on interest and leader availability. 
  • JMU Be Involved 
    • The hub for recognized student organizations on campus; search by group name or ‘LGBTQ’ to find orgs on campus 
  • Friendly City Safe Space 
    • The Friendly City Safe Space is Harrisonburg’s only community led LGBTQ+ center. The Friendly City Safe Space resources include affinity groups, volunteer run clubs and events, and they partner with several community organizations to provide mental health support, STI testing, and financial planning, to name a few. In house, they have their “Lending Library,” a Clothes Closet, Hygiene and Safer Sex Station, and a food pantry 
  • Brown Shuga 
    • Brown Shuga is a “Social Collective for lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans women and sapphics of color.” They are located in Charlottesville, Virginia. They created “The Brown Shuga” Podcast. While they do not have an official website, they have Instagram and Linktree. 
  • Shenandoah LGBTQ+ Center 
    • The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center is a supportive network where LGBTQ people of all ages in the Shenandoah Valley and Greater Appalachia can thrive as equal, healthy, supported members of our society. The center itself includes a library, clothes closet, condom delivery, and free STI testing, which is offered once a month.   
  • Stonewall Sports  
    • Founded in 2010, Stonewall Sports provides nonprofit, inclusive, low-cost, fun local sports leagues that are rooted in philanthropy and give back to their communities. Stonewall Sports is a non-profit that has locations in 26 cities across the US. 
  • DC Black Queer Women  
    • Identity based affinity group for Black Queer Women outside of DC. They host social events throughout the year and can be found on Instagram and MeetUp. 
  • James River Transgender Society 
    • The James River Transgender Society is a support group based in Richmond, Virginia and offers support for anyone who is gender non-conforming. There is a small membership fee to join.  
Resources by location
  • Lavender Lounge 
    • The Lavender Lounge (located in SSC 1310) is a space for the safe and comfortable expression of LGBTQ+ identities and is for JMU students to hang out and meet new people.  
  • JMU SOGIE Affinity Groups 
    • SOGIE’s student affinity groups are identity or interest specific, student-led groups. The groups being offered change each semester based on interest and leader availability. 
  • JMU Counseling Services  
    • Check-out the counseling center’s identity specific resource guide for LGBTQ+ students. 
  • Trans @ JMU Guide 
    • Check-out our other resource guide that shares many resources around housing, name change, and gender-neutral restrooms. 
  • JMU Career Center 
    • Check-out the career center’s LGBTQ+ student career resource guide 
  • Safe Zone 
    • A learning network right here on JMU’s campus; find affirming staff through the member list
  • Friendly City Safe Space 
    • The Friendly City Safe Space is Harrisonburg’s only community led LGBTQ+ center located in downtown harrisonburg 
  • Shenandoah LGBTQ Center 
    • The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center was announced on July 13, 2018 in response to the severe lack of resources available in the Shenandoah Valley and Greater Appalachian region for LGBTQ individuals and their families. 
  • PFLAG - Blue Ridge 
    • Parents, families, friends and allies uniting with LGBT loved ones to promote support, education and advocacy in the Charlottesville and surrounding central Virginia area. 
  • Shenandoah Valley Equality  
    • The mission of Shenandoah Valley Equality is to build community for LGBTQ people in the Shenandoah Valley.

 

  • Equality Virginia 
    • Statewide, non-partisan lobbying, education and support network for the GLBT communities in Virginia. 
  • Virginia Anti-Violence Project 
    • Organization working to address and end violence, with a specific focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities across Virginia. 
  • National LGBTQ Task Force 
    • Task force focused on freedom and justice for LGBTQ people. 
  • Point Foundation 
    • National LGBTQ Scholarship Fund 
  • National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) 
    • Legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. 
  • Bisexual.org 
    • A project that hopes to give a voice to the bisexual community, share accurate information, answer questions, and provides resources to learn more. 
  • Asexual Visibility & Education Network (AVEN) 
    • Asexual online community and archive of resources on asexuality. 
  • Intersex Campaign for Equality 
    • Promoting human rights for all intersesx people through arts, education, and action. 
Crisis Lines

Trans Lifeline

1-877-565-8860 

Hotline for trans people staffed by trans people 
 

BlackLine 

1 (800) 604-5841  

24/7 Text or Call Hotline: a space for peer support, counseling, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences to folxs who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. 
 

Crisis Text Line 

741741 

Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor 
 

DeQH 

908-367-3374  

Hotline for South Asian/Desi LGBTQ individuals, family, and friends 
 

GLBT National Help Center 

1-888-843-4564 

Hotline with peer-counseling and local resources. 
 

GLBT National Youth Talk Line 

1-800-246-7743 

Hotline for youth (up to age 25) with peer-counseling and local resources. 
 

Trevor Project Suicide Prevention Hotline 

1-866-488-7386 

Crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth (ages 13-24) 

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Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression Programming
Student Success Center
738 South Mason Street
Room 1310
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Operating Hours follow the
Student Success Center