On March 23, the Teen Mental Health Collaborative held its quarterly meeting at Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation as an opportunity to network, share organizational highlights, and hear and learn from partner organizations.
Collaborative members heard presentations from Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation Program Director Coley Alston on supporting LGBTQ+ Youth; Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania VP of Operators Melissa Fuller, BGCWPA VP of Teen Programs and Partnerships Kara Petrosky, and Vitable Director of Sales Brian Cottone Jr. presented on teen mental health innovations for health system and CBO collaboration; and Sophia Duck, training and engagement manager of The Mentoring Partnership of SWPA, provided information about The Mentoring Partnership grief toolkit, education and training.
Following the meeting, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation facilitated an in-person Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) training for interested collaborative members. The training explored concepts and terminology around SOGIE, defined health disparities impacting the LGBTQ+ community and the layers of discrimination that cause them, and examined potential biases that may create barriers to providing service. This is part of a larger initiative of the collaborative to offer mental health skill-building to staff of community-based organization similar to the model of community-initiated care to better equip staff, to serve teens of all backgrounds.