Strengths-based behavioral telehealth with sexual and gender diverse clients at Center on Halsted

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an immediate response and rapid transition from traditional face-to-face behavioral health services to behavioral telehealth at an organization serving sexual and gender diverse (SGD) individuals in Chicago. In this practice innovations article, we explore the unfolding public health crisis and the impact on service delivery for SGD individuals. Using a large multi-service organization as a case study, this paper describes how key members of the staff and leadership team shifted services online as a means of responding to isolation, loneliness, and disparities in access to healthcare for Chicago SGD communities. Lessons learned and practice recommendations are presented.

Telehealth in Trans and Gender Diverse Communities: the Impact of COVID-19

“…Gava et al [ 29 ] surveyed 108 patients in Italy from May to June of 2020 and showed that mental health scores were significantly improved on the SF-12 when patients had received telehealth for gender-affirming care. A study in a community health center echoes this positive impact on behavioral health management as a result of televisit options, but suggests that these decisions be made with both the provider and the patient agreeing on the mode of care [ 30 ].…”

Information and communication technology-based health interventions for transgender people: A scoping review

“…Thirteen projects involved the use of videoconferencing technologies. Using platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet and Doximity, clinicians had conducted synchronous video-chat or audio-only consultations to provide gender-affirming and other care such as HIV and sexual health care [32,48,54], PrEP prescription [48,83], pre-and post-HIV test counselling [66][67][68]79], and behavioural counselling and support [46,58]. For example, the Open Door Health LGBTQ+ clinic in Rhode Island used Zoom for patient encounters during the pandemic [48].…”

“…Content appropriateness and relevance. Adopting a user-centred approach is an essential component in maintaining the appropriateness and relevance of an ICT intervention [43,46,76]. Many projects consulted community members in the early stages, such as by conducting focus groups [42,80] or setting up advisory boards [47,52,53,57,62,74,89], to allow the PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH target population to become an active part of the creative development of the intervention.…”

Coparenting autistic children during COVID-19: Emerging insights from practice

“…Telehealth is currently the dominant social work intervention for many parts of the world (Craig et al, 2021;Swenson et al, 2021). In our practices, many families are finding it difficult to attend in-person appointments amid new health protocols.…”

“…To adapt to COVID-19, social work researchers are investigating therapeutic alliances through telehealth (Craig et al, 2021;Earle and Freddolino, 2021;Swenson et al, 2021). In our practices, we have found this option to be beneficial for supporting families.…”