The Center on Colfax’s Free LGBTQ+ Mental Health Program

Jaylin Goodloe was pleasantly surprised when she heard of The Center on Colfax’s ambitious plan to create a free LGBTQ+ mental health program. Ultimately, it was that program that convinced her to join The Center’s team as the Director of Mental Health Services in May of this year.

“As of right now, we are working on the 12-session model, completely free, which I thought was very, very exclusive and something that was different from a lot of what other programs are doing,” Goodloe says.

The program, officially titled Glass Lawler Mental Health, has been in the works for more than two years. It’s named after the late Carmah Lawler and her wife, Kathy Glass, who were passionate activists and long-term members of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. When Lawler passed away in 2020, she left a bequest to The Center that made the free LGBTQ+ mental health service possible.

The Center offers program participants 12 individual counseling sessions, monthly peer support groups, and community social events. After the completion of the 12 individual sessions therapists work with their clients to create a discharge plan, giving patients resources to continue caring for their mental health in an affordable way.

“If you would like to continue your mental health journey, we do have people in place that are able to help you,” Goodloe adds. “We do have affordable therapists who have a sliding scale fee or take insurance… or they have some kind of affordable piece in their practice.”

As of right now, the program has no eligibility requirements—It’s completely free (no insurance required) for LGBTQ+ adults who want to utilize it. However, Goodloe emphasizes that applicants need to be open to working with a therapist in training. Glass Lawler Mental Health uses up-and-coming therapists, a mutually beneficial relationship that helps future therapists implement LGBTQ+-affirming practices while uplifting the Denver community.

The Center on Colfax hopes Glass Lawler Mental Health can help address the significant need for LGBTQ+ mental health services. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (which began in April 2020 and continued through 2022) shows that mental health struggles are higher in LGBTQ+ adults than non-LGBTQ+ adults in all age groups.

The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People found that out of 28,000 LGBTQ+ people ages 13 to 24, 41% had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. The rates of depression and anxiety are just as bleak—67% reported symptoms of anxiety, and 54% reported symptoms of depression. The Center on Colfax reports that in its 2023 survey of Denver LGBTQ+ residents, created in partnership with the Denver LGBTQ Commission, 70% of respondees reported experiencing a mental health challenge in the past year.

“I hope the (Denver) community is able to see that the LGBT community itself is growing and thriving,” Goodloe says. “I hope the Denver community can see that we are in the works of creating more affirming therapies and creating a safe environment for all people.”

Find the Glass Lawler Mental Health service interest form here. Positions for intern therapists are still available—Contact Jaylin Goodloe at JGoodloe@lgbtqcolorado.org for more information.