"Insist on Exploring Queerness": LGBTQ+ Latines Advice on Mental Health Services Engagement

Background and Purpose: LGBTQ+ Latines in the U.S. face intersecting barriers to mental health care, including cultural stigma, systemic discrimination, and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, particularly in regions like South Texas. This study uses a community support lens to explore LGBTQ+ Latines’ considerations when seeking and engaging with mental health services, addressing gaps in research on their lived experiences and strategies for navigating care.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 LGBTQ+ Latine adults in South Texas who had sought mental health services between 2017 and 2022. Participants represented diverse sexual/gender identities, ages (20–39), and language preferences (English/Spanish). An interpretive content analysis focused on responses to the interview question: “What advice would you give LGBTQ+ Latines seeking/receiving mental health services?” Coding involved intercoder reliability checks, reflexivity discussions, and thematic grouping to distill actionable participants’ recommendations.

Results: Four themes were constructed and illustrated how LGBTQ+ Latines navigate and resist systemic barriers in mental healthcare: 1) Overcome Others’ Opinions, where participants emphasized resisting cultural stigma (e.g., perceptions of mental healthcare use as a weakness) and prioritizing self-care; 2) Be Strategic in Seeking Affirming Services, which highlighted identifying providers who foster safety and validation through direct questioning (e.g., “Do you work with queer clients?”); 3) Therapy is a Journey, highlighting participants beliefs about the transformative potential of therapy, risks of harm (e.g., misgendering), advocating for needs, and rejecting unhelpful services; and (4) Find Community Support, reflecting the importance of peer networks offering emotional resilience, practical guidance, and referrals to affirming care. Example quotes will be presented to illustrate each theme.

Conclusions and Implications: This research centers the voices of LGBTQ+ Latines and highlights their contributions to collective change through resistance, resilience, and community care. Findings inform mental health practices that prioritize equity, belonging, and social justice. For example, we encourage a) providers to engage in critical self-reflection and adopt affirming practices, b) mental health training programs should intentionally integrate best practices for working with LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly at intersections of race, culture, language and immigration status, and c) policy efforts should expand access to bilingual, intersectional care in underserved regions. Community-driven tools, such as participant-informed resource guides, offer pathways to more accessible and affirming services. This study contributes to the collective impact of social work by challenging systemic inequities and amplifying marginalized voices in mental health research and practice.