Youth Mental Health Care
Youth Mental Health services include trauma-focused individual psychotherapy, group therapy, and psychiatry for young people starting at age 13 up to age 30, with a specific focus on supporting LGBTQIA2S+ youth who have experienced trauma or violence.
Adolescence is a time of rapid change, both physically and emotionally. Young people are navigating school, relationships, and their own identity, which can be a lot to handle. Sometimes, this period can trigger or exacerbate mental health issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or more severe conditions like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
What we offer for youth includes:
Trauma-focused Therapy
Our therapy program strives to provide young people with a safe and affirming space to explore their own individual capacities for healing. Therapists use a wide array of techniques including somatic and expressive therapies; we tailor sessions to meet the young person’s specific needs. Therapy can be provided at any Whitman-Walker Health location or virtually through telehealth.
The Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants supports our ability to provide free therapy to individuals who have a history of trauma or violence and experience systemic barriers to accessing care, including un/under-insurance, lack of parental support, or an inability to access competent care in other settings. If you have questions or would like to schedule a screening, please email Sarah Lawson, slawson@whitman-walker.org.
Affirming Youth Psychiatry
Youth psychiatric services are specialized medical services aimed at diagnosing, treating, and managing mental health conditions in young people. Available to those who receive primary care at Whitman Walker through referral by your primary care provider.
Because of high demand, there is limited availability for psychiatric appointments. When clinically appropriate, your Whitman Walker primary care provider might provide psychotropic treatment with guidance from the psychiatry team.
School-Based Outreach
Educating middle and high school students about career exploration, consent, self-esteem, stress, healthy relationships, and preparing students for successful presentations. These presentations were geared towards the specified target demographic, ages 11 to 18 years old.
G.L.A.M. “Girls Learning About (their) Majesty” educates young womxn ages 13 to 19 years old about their sexual health, including pregnancy prevention, condom negotiation, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The program also seeks to incorporate topics that young womxn within the target age group face daily, including Self-Esteem, Entrepreneurship, Resume Writing, and Workplace Etiquette.
Community-Based Mental Health
Our youth mental health team is available for school-based programming and peer-to-peer outreach focused on empowering young people with skills about Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Interested in partnering with our program or getting trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid? Reach out to Sarah Lawson, slawson@whitman-walker.org.
Contact slawson@whitman-walker.org for more information.
Need support now?
- National Suicide Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
- Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860
- The Trevor Project Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 (for LGBTQ+ youth)
- Crisis Text Line: text “GO” to 741741
- DC Mental Health Access Line: 1-888-793-4357
- In crisis? Click here for resources.
