Providing better care to the LGBTTTIQ community

Asking the Right Questions 2 Project Report and Evaluation Launch

For Immediate Release - January 5, 2009 - (Toronto) – When working with people from the, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, two-spirit, intersex, and queer (LGBTTTIQ) community, it is important to consider their unique experiences in order to provide respectful care. The Asking the Right Questions 2 Project (ARQ2) will release its Report and Evaluation on Friday, January 9^th, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 1001 Queen Street W, Toronto, room 2030A. Teleconferencing will be available at that time for people not able to participate in person.

ARQ2 is a one-day training, including discussion and role-play that provides clinicians with a helpful guide for initiating discussion in order to create an environment where clients feel comfortable talking about their sexual orientation and gender identity. It was created in response to feedback from clients who reported persistent homophobia and transphobia from service providers in Ontario.

Since 2004, over 900 clinicians across Ontario have participated in ARQ2. This represents a significant contribution to increasing clinicians’ cultural competency and to improving addiction and mental health services for LGBTTTIQ communities.

“Many people in the LGBTTTIQ community have experienced discrimination from social service and health care providers,” says, Farzana Doctor, one of ARQ2’s lead trainers “and our workshop participants tell us that ARQ2 provides them with a better understanding of the LGBTTTIQ community so that they can work with their clients in a more culturally competent and equitable way.”

The project evaluation for ARQ2 found that clinicians were able to apply what they learned in their everyday practice.

For more information about ARQ2 and the evaluation report, visit: http://www.camh.net/Publications/Resources_for_Professionals/ARQ2/index.html

Media contact: Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH at (416) 595-6015.

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

 

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