As this year's LGBTQIA+ Pride month draws to a close, Louis Prime explores how the profession can help when working with people who are LGBTQIA+.
If you're inspired by Louis and want to work to make occupational therapy more inclusive, we've just opened up our Equity, Diversity and Belonging (EDB) strategy for consultation. Please make your voice heard.
Louis Prime, Occupational therapist, Founding member of LGBTQIA+OT UK
As an occupational therapist who identifies as a part of the LBGTQIA+ community, the importance of championing diversity and inclusion within the profession and indeed the wider community, is something I feel passionately about. My name is Louis, and I currently work within a community therapy service in South-east London which provides support to children and young people from the early years through into adulthood.
Back in 2021 I co-founded the independent LGBTQIA+OT UK affinity group. The idea and need to form this group arose from a bunch of likeminded OTs, OT students and educators who recognised that the occupational therapy community was missing a beat. We didn't have a space when it came to representation, support, and togetherness for those who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their allies. The group is now thriving on Twitter (@LGBTQIAOTUK) with nearly 2,000 followers, and it paves the way for the representation and action that is needed within our profession.
One thing that really strikes a chord for me is the disparity in rates of mental health problems between LGBTQIA+ people compared to those who identify as heterosexual.
Having been consumed in my role as a newly qualified therapist for the past several months I haven’t spent much time considering what it means to be an LGBTQIA+ OT. In this blog I explore thoughts on how the profession can help.
One thing that really strikes a chord for me is the disparity in rates of mental health problems between LGBTQIA+ people compared to those who identify as heterosexual. In fact, those who identify with the acronym are two to three times more likely to report having a psychological or emotional problem (Hidden Figures, 2017). To be more specific, Stonewell’s report in 2018 tells us that almost half of trans people had thought about taking their own life in the last year and half of those surveyed said they’d experienced depression. Negative experiences when accessing mental health services are also commonplace.
This has me thinking, how can occupational therapy help? We work across mental health services, schools, colleges, and many other settings in which LGBTQIA+ people use our services, whether we’re aware of how they identify or not. We have a responsibility to use our unique skillset to support those with mental health problems or who are grappling with the intricacies and anxieties that come with understanding how they might identify as LGBTQIA+. Sexuality and gender identity are core to our identities and play an intrinsic role in our day to day lives and occupations. That said, I don’t see this included as a question or area for consideration in the standardised assessments or models of practice commonly used within mental health.
I don’t think we always ask the difficult questions.
I think that as occupational therapists who follow a person-centred philosophy, we value and respect our clients – we seek to understand their experiences and how these impact on daily life. But I don’t think we always ask the difficult questions. A lot of the time we might hold back and put the onus on the client to share. But this isn’t always easy, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community. I sometimes worry about accidentally using the wrong terminology or making a mistake, but that’s ok, everyone is learning. It's easy to apologise in the moment or rephrase something, but it's not so easy to ask again if that right time was missed.
What I’m saying is, ASK! It might just be the one opportunity that someone needs to share, to be vulnerable, to ask for help. We might not have all the answers, but we can listen and build open and honest therapeutic relationships with clients to ensure they receive the best possible support. Confidence is key when discussing sensitive subjects, so I would encourage engaging in CPD activities that include LGBTQIA+ themes. Follow LGBTQIA+OT UK on Twitter and take part in one of their events. Also, look to AOTI’s LGBTQIA+ Awareness and Good Practice Guidelines for useful insights.
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A huge thank you to Louis for sharing this valuable insight with us. It’s great to get an understanding of how the profession could make this huge step forward.
If you're interested in being part of the inclusivity conversation, our EDB strategy has just been launched for consultation.