"Our aim is to create the appropriate culture to provide nonjudgmental mental health care through awareness, training and education"        
-Stephanie Perry,
Administrative Manager of Psychiatric Clinics
A mental health and wellness clinic specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning individuals will open Monday, July 20, 2016 at UAB Department of Psychiatry.

The mission of the UAB LGBTQ Mental Health and Wellness Clinic is to provide culturally competent outpatient psychopharmacology and therapy that is safe, supportive, and affirming for the LGBTQ community in Birmingham and surrounding areas. Additionally, the goal is to raise awareness of the unique mental health needs of this community and provide culturally sensitive training opportunities for health care professionals. Until now, there have been no formal comprehensive standards to help medical schools and health care organizations train providers in the health care needs of these patients. UAB, along with other medical schools in the country, has created curricula for all medical students in the care of LGBTQ patients. Larry McMillan, M.D., who will see adult and adolescent patients at the clinic, says "many LGBT people avoid seeking professional help out of fear of being marginalized or stigmatized." McMillan hopes the new clinic will be a welcoming environment where those who identify as LGBTQ will feel comfortable enough to seek assistance for their mental health needs.

For more information on this story follow the link provided below:
http://www.uab.edu/news/service/item/6290-uab-to-open-mental-health-and-wellness-clinic-for-lgbtq-community