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LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Activity description
You will need to login using your OptumHealth Education account or create a new account.
Many health care professionals (HCPs) do not routinely discuss gender identity or sexual orientation with their patients, despite the fact that this information is an essential part of their medical history. HCPs may lack the knowledge or language to discuss these topics comfortably with their patients and may not realize that disparities in mental health care for LGBTQ+ patients can stem from this lack of affirming communication, allowing mental health stressors and issues to remain unaddressed. This activity will focus on providing HCPs with knowledge and strategies about engaging in effective and affirming communication with LGBTQ+ patients, including proper terminology regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. It will discuss leading stressors and disparities that contribute to poor mental health conditions in LGBTQ+ people and identify interventions that HCPs can offer to provide support and resources to LGBTQ+ patients seeking mental health care.
Prior to completing this activity, we recommend that you take Caring for the LGBTQ+ Community: An Introduction. Click here for more information and to register.
Please note: After viewing the module, you can advance to the post-test, evaluation and credit claiming process for up to 1.0 credit hours or you can sign up to participate in a Learning Circle with the activity faculty. Learning Circles are designed to allow you to interact with the faculty, ask questions, and share general case studies in a live, small group setting via Teams. Participation in the module and a Learning Circle will allow you to earn up to 1.5 credit hours. Each Learning Circle is limited to 30 people and is designed for in-network Optum Behavioral Health providers only.
Provided by
This activity is jointly provided by OptumHealth Education and Optum Behavioral Health Network.
Commercial support
No commercial support was received for this activity.
Required hardware/software
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Target Audience
This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of counselors, educators, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, PAs, physicians, psychologists, social workers, therapists and other HCPs who have an interest in LGBTQ+ mental health.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Recognize and define the differences between sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Describe ways to communicate effectively about sexual orientation and gender identity in affirming ways.
- State the leading paradigms of LGBTQ+ minority stress and explain how it contributes to poor mental health conditions in LGBTQ+ people.
- Discuss existing LGBTQ+ mental health disparities.
- Identify interventions and resources for LGBTQ+ mental health care.
Additional Information
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Click here to download the presentation handout | 2.52 MB |
Presenter
Dustin Nowaskie, MD
Founder & President
OutCare Health
Indianapolis, IN
About the Presenter
Dr. Dustin Nowaskie is a queer and proud provider. His personal identification and civic commitment have culminated in a passion to help the LGBTQ+ community. He is the founder and president of the national nonprofit LGBTQ+ health equity organization OutCare Health, which provides access to LGBTQ+ information, resources, mentorship, education, training, research and providers for hundreds of thousands of people across the country. A Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Southern California and Gold Humanism Honor Scholar of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Nowaskie’s clinical and philanthropic work has led to several national accolades, presentations and publications as well as diversity awards from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Tylenol Future Care Foundation, Gamma Mu Foundation, Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists, World Professional Association for Transgender Health and National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals. His ultimate goal is to transform his might into a powerful unicorn of social and public health change for LGBTQ+ people. For more information on OutCare Health, please visit www.outcarehealth.org.
Activity planners
Sarah Chart, RN
Vice President
OptumHealth Education
Elizabeth Albert, MD
Clinical Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education
Disclosures of relevant financial relationships
In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's (ACCME) Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, OptumHealth Education (OHE) requires all those in control of educational content to disclose their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. Ineligible companies are defined by the ACCME as companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care products used by or on patients. Individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies and regardless of their view of the relevance of the relationship to the education. OHE ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.
The activity faculty or planners have no financial relationships to disclose.
Method for calculating CE credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content. The total hours noted below includes participation in a 30 minute Learning Circle upon completion of the online module (60 minutes.) Learners should claim credit only commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Accreditation statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by OptumHealth Education and Optum Behavioral Health Network. OptumHealth Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the health care team.
Credit designation statements
Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 1.50 contact hour(s) of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.
Nurse practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists/Pharmacy technicians
This activity is approved for 1.50 contact hours ([0.15] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 1.50 contact hours.
Unique Activity Number(s): JA0007123-9999-22-119-H04-P/T
Physicians
OptumHealth Education designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
PAs
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Psychologists
OptumHealth Education is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. OptumHealth Education maintains responsibility for this program. 1.50 CE hours.
Social workers
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, OptumHealth Education is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. OptumHealth Education maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 1.50 continuing education credits.
Counselors and/or marriage and family therapists
CA: The Board of Behavioral Sciences has deferred CE course approvals to APA and ASWB for its licensees. See those approvals under Psychologists and Social Workers.
Other States: If your state is not specifically listed, nearly all state Counselor and MFT boards accept either APA or ASWB approval, or are reciprocal with other state licensing board approvals, such as those listed below. Check with your board to be sure.
Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been preapproved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization from which they wish to obtain credit.
Available Credit
- 1.50 ACPE - Pharmacists
- 1.50 ACPE - Pharmacy Technicians
- 1.50 AMA - Physicians
- 1.50 ANCC - Nurses
- 1.50 APA - Psychologists
- 1.50 Attendance - General Attendance
You will need to login using your OptumHealth Education account or create a new account.
You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking “Register” and completing the “Pre-Activity Assessment”; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save or print your certificate of participation. A complete listing of your activities can be found under “My Account,” “My Activities.”