NAMI Dane County Pilots its Sixth Support Group - The LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Support Group
By Christina Ma & Adati Tarfa, Support Group Facilitators
The National Alliance on Mental Illnesses - NAMI Dane County is introducing its new LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) Mental Health Support Group, to be held on Tuesday evenings starting on the 12th of July. Currently, NAMI has five support groups: the Connecting Support Group, Bipolar/Depression Support Group, Women’s Depression and Anxiety Support Group, Family Support Group, and the Young Adult Support Group. Each of these groups are tailored towards serving the unique needs of different individuals living with mental illnesses. The groups are facilitated by volunteers with lived-experiences. While queer individuals intersect with identities shared in these other NAMI groups there is yet to be a group that specifically supports their diverse range of identities and expressions of gender and sexual orientation.
With the recent passing of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and anti-trans legislation, the need for extra support for the LGBTQIA+ community is especially pressing. The censorship and denial of the experiences of queer individuals puts them at additional risk for adverse mental health experiences. Members of the LGBTQIA+ communities are often underrepresented in mental health studies; nonetheless, there is strong evidence from recent research that members of this community are at a higher risk for experiencing mental health conditions — especially depression and anxiety disorders. Queer individuals are twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. Transgender individuals are nearly four times as likely as cisgender individuals to experience a mental health condition. Each queer person experiences a unique set of challenges, from social and institutional to emotional and physical. All of these can take a toll on mental health and quality of life.
We look forward to providing a safe space to navigate issues relevant to the LGBTQIA+ community, including mental health, forming identity, finding a supportive community, etc. In our new group, we hope to bring comfort and community to folks of all sexualities and genders. Every person who considers themselves to be queer or questioning can attend the group. Whether attendees have specific labels for themselves or not, whether they are closeted or out to everyone they know, every queer person’s identity, struggles, and feelings are valid. All NAMI meetings are confidential and members often find support across the different groups.
It is of utmost importance that we emphasize that individuals who are still questioning, or do not have specific labels for themselves, are entirely welcome to the group. In addition, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, and other identities are all welcome. The group will be gender-affirming and welcomes all diverse genders. Even within the queer community, there can be oppression of non-binary, intersex, agender, or trans identities. It is our mission to provide a space for LGBTQ+ folks to find strength in vulnerability, and we will not tolerate transphobia, biphobia, or any other types of discrimination.
We are excited to offer this group which has been in the works for quite some time. Folks outside of Dane County or even the state of Wisconsin can all attend, as the group will be held remotely through Zoom. We hope to see you there, and please spread the word!
If you are interested in joining the group when it starts, please fill out the interest form on this page: namidanecounty.org/support.