About EMPWR
The UCLA EMPWR Program: Promoting Wellbeing & Resilience in LGBTQ+ Mental Health
The EMPWR (“empower”) Program is an initiative of the UCLA Division of Population Behavioral Health designed to promote well-being and resilience in LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) children, teenagers, and adults.
EMPWR provides a safe, open environment for LGBTQ+ clients with mental health concerns related to stressful and/ or traumatic experiences. This program links families to an expert team of attending psychiatrists and psychologists as well as supervised advanced trainees who deliver comprehensive mental health care. Specialized individual, family, and group programs build on personal strengths, foster healthy identity formation, and mitigate the consequences of stressful and/or traumatic experiences.
Lastly, in conjunction with the UCLA Division of Population Behavioral Health and the UCLA Center for Health Services and Society, the EMPWR Program collects and examines outcome data in order to improve interventions, contribute to the existing literature, and, ultimately, help decrease mental health inequities and barriers to care for LGBTQ+ youth. Clinicians in the EMPWR Program also collaborate with national and local partners working to improve medical education and reduce LGBTQ+ inequities.