June is when the world’s 2SLGBTQIAP+ communities celebrate the freedom to be themselves, and we are here for it! Walden has a lot in store to celebrate June Pride Month this year and show that we stand in solidarity, hand in hand, with our LGBTQIA+ community members.
While we will certainly be adding to the conversations and celebrations all month long, we know the work does not end on July 1. As passionate allies, we are dedicated to providing specialized eating disorder support for the LGBTQ+ community all year long.
Pride Celebration Presentation
Walden’s DEI Group invites you to take a moment to check out this informative and engaging presentation they put together. Then see if you can answer these questions:
- How many Walden team members are part of our Rainbow Road program?
- What do the colors of the Pride flag represent?
- What percentage of 2SLGBTQIAP+ youth reported having an eating disorder?
- What does it mean to be an ally?
Pride Speaker Series
The DEI Group has scheduled two talks in celebration of Pride and is inviting all 600+ Walden team members to attend. Stay tuned to our social channels for recaps after the talks.
Ben O’Keefe (he/they) will talk about his recovery journey and how it led to his work in changing the fashion industry as seen in “White Hot: The Rise And Fall Of Abercrombie and Fitch” and how that related to his recovery as a queer BIPOC man.
We are excited to hear from three LGBTQIA+ speakers and their powerful stories about living in the world today. Since 1972, SpeakOUT Boston has conducted peer-led training programs to prepare LGBTQIA* community members to effectively tell their personal stories to create positive social change.
Learn more about SpeakOUT Boston.
Rainbow Road Expanding to PHP
We were proud to launch Rainbow Road Intensive Outpatient Program as the first of its kind in the country in November 2021. Rainbow Road provides individualized eating disorder treatment for queer clients by queer and allied providers who have the deep understanding needed to work with LGBTQIA+ clients in an affirming and effective way.
Our clients have found remarkable success with Rainbow Road, so Walden recently expanded to offer a Rainbow Road Partial Hospitalization Program.
We are proud to be modeling what the societal expectation should be for mental health and eating disorder treatment and how to compassionately care for people of all genders and sexualities.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Rainbow Road ED IOP, please know that you are welcome and safe here at Walden. Contact us today and tell your evaluator that you are interested in Rainbow Road.
*This blog post does not necessarily represent the views of Walden Behavioral Care and its management. The Walden Blog is meant to represent a broad variety of opinions relating to eating disorders and their treatment.
