Research & Education
The EMPWR Program offers unique opportunities for medical and mental health trainees and students to participate in research and specialized training. Clinicians from EMPWR also collaborate with numerous local and national academic and advocacy groups.
Training Opportunities
The EMPWR Program offers training in affirming mental health care for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults to prepare the next generation of mental health providers.
LGBTQ+ Youth Trauma, Resilience, and Community Education Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The LGBTQ+ Youth Trauma, Resilience, and Community Education fellowship focuses on (1) clinical training with LGBTQ+ youth and their families and (2) community care and education related to LGBTQ+ youth and trauma-informed mental health care. The fellowship offers clinical training in specialized mental health care through the UCLA EMPWR (“empower”) Program for LGBTQ+ Youth (www.uclahealth.org/empwr), with a specific emphasis on children, adolescents, and young adults/transitional age youth dealing with stress and/or trauma in a hospital-based outpatient setting. The fellow will receive in-depth training in comprehensive evaluations, affirmative care for LGBTQ+ patients, evidence-based trauma-focused interventions, and resilience-based interventions. Treatment modalities primarily include individual and group therapy, as well as brief family interventions.
For application and position details, please see: https://dpbh.ucla.edu/clinical-training/
Training electives for UCLA DGSOM trainees
EMPWR provides subspecialty clinical training to UCLA David DGSOM advanced psychology and psychiatry trainees under the direct supervision of attending faculty with research and clinical expertise in working with LGBTQ+ populations. The program thus offers trainees a unique opportunity to learn about interventions to support recovery from trauma and bolster stress management strategies. The training objectives of this program also underscore and advance UCLA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Highlights of clinical rotations include:
- Opportunity to evaluate and treat LGBTQ+ youth with anxiety, depression, and stress and trauma related conditions
- Training in individual and family focused interventions including Trauma Focused CBT and FOCUS
- Didactics on salient topics such as health disparities, minority stress, and competent care for LGBTQ+ populations
- Journal club focused on foundational knowledge of the existing literature on interventions for LGBTQ+ youth
- Group facilitation training*
To find out more information about applying to EMPWR electives, please email us at: [email protected].
Research
The EMPWR Program benefits from the support of top-notch faculty researchers at UCLA who specialize in community engagement, systems of care, delivery of care to underserved and underresourced populations, resilience and DBT skills, and psychosocial research methodology.
Current Research Projects Include:
- Family-Focused Therapy for families of transgender & gender diverse youth (PI: Ramos, funded by the AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, K12DA000357)
- Education and support for resource parents of LGBTQ+ foster youth (PI: Ollen, funded by the UCLA Pritzker Center)
- Analyses of the EMPWR Teen Resilience Group intervention for LGBTQ+ teens with depression, anxiety, and/or stressors
- Analyses of the EMPWR Caregiver Resilience Group
- Qualitative Improvement projects within this clinic and the broader UCLA Health system
- Collaborative projects on suicide prevention among LGBTQ+ youth
- Affirming care practices on the inpatient unit
Want to participant in one of our studies? Please click on the project title for additional information.
Research Staff: Volunteer research opportunities are available to support UCLA Department of Psychiatry Trainees seeking to gain research skills and experience.
All research job postings are centralized through UCLA Health Careers.
Advocacy
As part of UCLA Health’s LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, the EMPWR Program prioritizes collaborative care with other UCLA clinicians and providers. The EMPWR team works closely with expert clinicians from the Gender Health Program, which delivers gender-affirming care across medical specialties.
The EMPWR Program also works closely with UCLA centers and community organizations to help disseminate evidenced-based practices and educational programming. LA County residents may access free online trainings through the DMH + UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence.
If you interested in seeking consultation from the EMPWR Team, contact us at [email protected].