Prevalence and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in the LGBTQ+ Community

Course overview

The LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, nonbinary, and additional sexual or gender identities) community is a highly diverse group with varying identities, orientations, lived experiences, and needs. Prevalence data show that the LGBTQ+ community has a higher likelihood for substance misuse and substance use disorders, mental health disorders, support system deficiencies, and other factors related to well-being and quality of life (Hughto et al., 2021; National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.). In this course, you will learn the best practices for providing relevant, effective substance use treatment to LGBTQ+ populations. The content in this course assumes you have basic to intermediate knowledge of LGBTQ+ populations. If you are seeking foundational information on the LGBTQ+ community, please search the Relias LMS library for other courses related to working with LGBTQ+ individuals. The goal of this course is to provide psychologists, alcohol and drug counselors, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, social workers, and nurses in health and human services settings with information on how to provide treatment specific to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.