The weather has turned, which means it's officially Pride all summer long! Catch us out in the community, pick up some swag and resources, and meet our team. Find us at one of these upcoming Pride and outreach events:

Later in the summer, look for us at: 

RECLAIM provides a multitude of services, from training to mental health services, such as clinical therapy. The organization is able to provide mental health and therapy services through their incredible therapy staff, which consists of five licensed therapists and three interns. Crystal Audi (they/them) is a Mental Health Therapist with RECLAIM. They’ve been practicing outpatient therapy for a year and a half. This is their first therapy position after graduating from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a Master’s Degree in Social Work.

Outside of work, Crystal loves to nap in the sun with their cat. They enjoy horror movies and reality tv and love when clients come with recommendations. Crystal is also a big reader and spends a lot of time outside.

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Give OUT Day is the nation's largest fundraising event for LGBTQ+ nonprofits and programs, culminating on May 31. At RECLAIM, we're dedicated to providing accessible mental health care to queer and trans youth regardless of their ability to pay, empowering them to reclaim their lives from oppression in all its forms. The need for such services remains significant, especially in Greater Minnesota where access to culturally competent and affordable care can be scarce. We’re asking for your support to meet this need.

As our fiscal year draws to a close on June 30, we find ourselves $40,000 short of our individual giving goal. Your support has been instrumental in enabling us to make a difference, and we ask for you to join us in this moment by making a gift on or before May 31.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when we call attention to the importance of mental well-being for all individuals. At RECLAIM, we’re especially aware of how mental health intersects with the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth, who often face unique challenges in accessing care and support. We'd like to share these resources we've found helpful in understanding and supporting the mental health of queer and trans youth:

This telehealth resource guide was created by Hannah Leisenheimer, a recent occupational therapy intern at RECLAIM. It is oriented toward providers, but also contains many useful resources for clients and patients.

"Welcome to your all-inclusive resource guide to telehealth therapy with LGBTQ+ youth and young adults! Specifically designed for use in telehealth contexts, this virtual guide aims to assist you in delivering more effective and meaningful services and will provide you with a one-stop shop for support resources, therapeutic materials, and recommendations for your clients and their loved ones."

The Trevor Project recently released its 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, compiling the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ respondents ages 13 to 24. Among the key findings (taken verbatim from the report):

The findings of this survey directly inform RECLAIM's programmatic, advocacy, and outreach work. 

From the Minnesota Women's Press: "Suicide Has Become an Epidemic in Rural Minnesota — How Can We Prevent Further Loss?"

Dr. Tracie Rutherford Self: "We absolutely need more practitioners in rural communities, but it’s not sufficient to say that if we put in more people, they’re going to be effective. Going back to the example of the farm women, if you don’t understand that it’s not going to be appropriate to say, 'You should engage in some self-care, take a trip to Florida,' then you’re not going to effectively engage that individual because you didn’t understand the culture from which they are coming from. You also stand to do some real harm because [that patient] is going to think things like, 'Is anything in mental health going to make sense for me? Do they understand me? Do they see me?'

"Providers also need to look at how race, ethnicity, ability issues, gender, and LGBTQ+ identities impact their patients and how those identities intersect with the rural cultural component. In many of our rural communities, we’re seeing an expansion of diverse populations."

...

Minnesota Women’s Press spoke with Ryan Fouts, executive director of Reclaim, which is the only organization in Minnesota that focuses solely on providing mental health care to LGBTQ+ youth. In August 2023, the Twin Cities-based nonprofit received a $50,000 grant from the U Care Foundation to support their efforts to train providers currently based in parts of rural Minnesota. Providers would be able to use Reclaim’s resources and best practices in order to support young people in their communities who identify as queer and trans. They are actively seeking rural therapists who are interested in forming partnerships.

“Coming out is going to have different impact in different communities,” Fouts said. “Having an awareness and understanding of what it means to come out in a rural community [is important], so our priority is finding folks who have an existing understanding of a community.”

Fouts also said that with the passage of the Trans Refuge Bill during the 2023 legislative session, Reclaim! has seen an increase in cases as more and more families move to Minnesota because of the bill. Fouts said families may move anywhere in Minnesota, so Reclaim! wants to “equip [mental health professionals everywhere] to do this work. People shouldn’t have to relocate [to the metro] for mental health care.”