Supporting Content
In this webinar, Dr Sarah Smith (she/her) from the Centre for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research will present on some of the key issues that 2SLGBTQ+ postsecondary students face with their mental health and accessing mental health services. Preliminary research suggests that despite positive shifts in the postsecondary mental health landscape, 2SLGBTQ+ students are still facing barriers to accessing on-campus supports. Challenges such as the lack of trust in university-based mental health services, fear of homophobia and transphobia, as well as structural barriers to care will be discussed. Additionally, the presentation will highlight gaps in the literature about best practices for supporting student mental health and include a call to action for improving and evaluating 2SLGBTQ+ specific mental health interventions. This presentation will offer a snapshot of contemporary issues and perspectives that can support key decision making about the provision of postsecondary mental health care for 2SLGBTQ+ students. French closed captioning will be available.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Sarah Smith (she/her) is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research in the Dalla Lana School Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her work explores the intersections of sociology, mad studies, queer and trans studies, and public health. Currently Dr. Smith is leading work on the landscape of postsecondary student mental health, using critical, feminist approaches to the study of mental care. Dr. Smith’s other areas of expertise include sociological understandings of self-harm, and the analysis of trans mental health care policies in Ontario. Overall, Dr. Smith’s work seeks to empower the narratives of people with lived experiences of mental health concerns to identify areas of improvement in mental health care systems.
