Mental Health

Why It Matters

Your mental health affects every aspect of your life from relationships to jobs right down to your ability to get out of bed in the morning. Despite the importance of being able to maintain your mental health, there are many barriers to accessing mental health care:
  • Insurance and Cost: In 2018, 8.5 percent of people, or 27.5 million, did not have health insurance at any point during the year1. Since health insurance is often tied to employment, this disproportionately affects members of the transgender community who are unemployed at three times the rate of the national average2. Without insurance, therapy can cost $75-$150 per session or more3 which is prohibitively expensive for most people.

  • Stigma: Many people suffering from mental illness encounter stigma in many aspects of their lives, including self stigma, that acts as a barrier to seeking care4. Many people fear they will be seen as weak, treated differently by friends and family, or face housing and employment discrimination5.

  • Finding a therapist: Finding a therapist can be a difficult process between navigating insurance, making phone calls, and finding someone who is a good match for you. Not all therapists have experience with LGBTQPIAA+ people, BIPOC, formerly incarcerated women, sexual trauma, PTSD, or the myriad of other issues marganilized people face. These things can seem impossible when you're in crisis or dealing with anxiety or depression.

What We’re Doing

The Little Petal Alliance seeks to offer support to those who need help obtaining therapy and finding a therapist. Depending on the applicant and state laws, we will also help navigate the daunting task of signing up for Medicaid so they can hopefully receive a full range of medical services. We are in the process of finding therapists willing to offer low cost or pro-bono therapy sessions as part of our mental wellness packages.

If you are currently in crisis, the following resources are available 24/7:

Sources
1US Census Bureau. (2018) Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-267.html

2National Center for Transgender Equality. (2016). The Report of the US 2015 Transgender Survey. p. 141. https://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS%20Full%20Report%20-%20FINAL%201.6.17.pdf

3GoodTherapy. (2014) How Much Does Therapy Cost? https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/faq/how-much-does-therapy-cost

4Holmes L. Just A Reminder That There's Nothing Wrong With Going To Therapy. Huffpost, 6 December 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stigma-of-therapy_n_7180798

5GoodTherapy. (2016). Stigma. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/stigma