The Attic Youth Center was recognized this week for its efforts to provide mental-health services to LGBT young people.
The Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists presented The Attic with its 2012 Stuart Nichols Award for outstanding achievements in LGBT community mental health May 7 at the National Museum of American Jewish History.
The award is named after a founding member of AGLP and of the predecessor of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.
Mental-health services are part of a triad of departments within The Attic, which also includes life-skills programming and outreach efforts through the Bryson Institute.
The Attic has offered mental-health counseling since its inception in 1993.
“When we started, I thought we could do counseling and while the youth did need that, back then what they really needed was a safe space and social exposure,” said Carrie Jacobs, executive director of The Attic. “We had limited money to spend, so what we did was reach out into the community and find seasoned, experienced therapists who were willing to see the kids. And we later built an entire program from there.”
All counseling services at The Attic are free.
Jacobs said that, while some youth are still hesitant to seek counseling, many are open about the importance it can play in their lives.
“The culture is shifting so that we have many kids who will say, ‘I have to go upstairs and see my therapist,’ or they’ll introduce their therapist to other kids and not have a problem with it,” she said. “Clearly some people still struggle with the idea of receiving these services but many, many youth are completely comfortable with the idea.”
That The Attic was honored by AGLP further validates the importance of the services the agency offers, Jacobs added.
“It recognizes the work that we’ve been doing for many years in providing these very needed services,” she said. “I felt really proud to be part of a group of people who are working toward making mental-health services more sensitive and appropriate for all LGBT people. It was quite an honor.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].