Webinar: Creating LGBTQI Safe Spaces and Keeping Well
The mental health issues of LGBTIQ+ individuals working in the UN are being compounded and magnified during COVID-19, in particular for LGBTIQ+ people working in duty stations in countries that criminalise LGBTIQ+ people, and LGBTIQ+ people who are in isolation with homophobic, lesbophobic, biphobic or transphobic household members or with an abusive or violent partner. Additionally, the mental health services and advice offered by our employers are not tailored for LGBTIQ+ personnel of the UN and therefore often fall short in meeting our needs. These uncertain and challenging times with this crisis have necessitated a discussion about how we can better support our mental wellbeing. UN GLOBE recognises that during this global crisis, being seen and heard are two of the most powerful human needs, particularly for LGBTIQ+ people. To support LGBTIQ+ people in the UN System, UN GLOBE organised two global webinars on mental health, titled “Seen*, heard and equipped; LGBTIQ+ Mental Health & COVID-19.”
*UN GLOBE recognises that during this global crisis, being seen and heard are two of the most powerful human needs, particularly for LGBTIQ+ people. That said, the confidentiality and anonymity of all members will be fully respected and guaranteed during these webinars. When registering, you can choose to provide a pseudonym and share your questions or issues to the panellists via the moderator.
Session 2: Creating Safe Spaces and Keeping Well
The session addressed COVID-19 related mental health by exploring safe spaces and attending to self-care. Issues raised included coping with anxiety, uncertainty, depression, intimate partner violence, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia during quarantine.
Date:
Tuesday 28 April 2020
Speakers:
Richa Vashista (She/Her)
Leow Yangfa (He/Him)
Note: Despite best efforts to identify LGBTIQ+ qualified mental health practitioners, UN GLOBE regrets not being able to provide the webinars in other UN Official languages.
About the panelists
Richa (She/Her): Richa Vashista, she / her, is a Queer Mental Health Professional working in the intersection of Gender and Sexuality since 2014. She has a Masters in Clinical Psychology from SNDT University, Mumbai. She provides therapy, conducts training and workshops on Mental Healthcare, LGBTQ and Gender Sensitization, for schools, colleges, corporates and NGOS. She also speaks at various national and international forums, advocating about the importance of Mental Health, LGBTQ rights and Gender Equality. Currently, she is a Mental Health Consultant for Kinnect, a digital marketing company and Paytm Insider. She has worked with The Humsafar Trust (HST) for four and half years as a Clinic and Counselling Head and Research Interventionist, working for the health and human rights of LGBTQ in India. During her time at HST, she provided support and therapy to individuals and families of LGBTQ who faced mental health issues through individual, family and group counselling. She has also managed some in house research studies. In 2016 she co-authored a manual for mental health professionals on how to counsel parents of LGBTQ- "Strengthening Bridges". Since then, she has taken her learning’s from writing this manual to other health care professionals, colleges, companies and organisations, through training and workshops, and encouraged them to adopt the best practices observed through the course of writing and researching for the manual.
Leow Yangfa (He/Him): LGBTQ mental health & suicide are pet topics of his, professionally & personally. He is a registered social worker, & prior to joining Oogachaga http://www.oogachaga.com in 2013, Leow worked in Samaritans of Singapore http://www.SOS.org.sg which is a national suicide prevention service, supporting people in emotional crisis, feeling suicidal, or impacted by the suicide death of a loved one. He has also edited a collection of personal LGBT stories from Singapore, called "I Will Survive" (self-explanatory title, inspired by Gloria Gaynor of course): https://www.fridae.asia/gay-news/2011/12/30/11456.book-review-i-will-survive