To be queer is to feel different - a felt sense that you don't fit in, which can be alienating and difficult and lead to mental health challenges and low wellbeing throughout life. Using a range of therapeutic approaches, this comprehensive, down-to-earth self-help workbook is designed to be your personal mental health resource and is filled with techniques and activities you can tailor to improve your wellbeing as a queer person, at your pace. The workbook is split into two sections - the first part focusses on laying the groundwork by exploring identity, psychological wellbeing, and mental health experiences in order to situate mental health challenges in context and improve overall mental health. The second half hones in on ideas and techniques applicable to specific challenges and situations. It explores difficult topics such as anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, shame, trauma, substance abuse, sleep, and low mood, all whilst maintaining a focus on your needs as a queer individual. Empowering and reassuring, and written by an experienced queer mental health practitioner, this one-of-a-kind workbook will help you to flourish as a queer person and begin to overcome any challenge.
Dr Brendan J Dunlop (he/him) is a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist in the NHS, as well as a Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at The University of Manchester. He has a particular interest in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of minority groups within society, especially people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Part 1 1. Introduction 2. Glossary 3. Queer Mental Health: The Basics 4. Identity: who am I and what do I care about? 5. Self-compassion and Self-acceptance 6. Queer Relationships 7. Intersectionality and me Part 2 8. Feeling Anxious 9. Feeling Low 10. Sleep difficulties 11. Eating difficulties 12. Shame 13. Trauma 14. Self-harm 15. Suicide 16. Keeping well plan 17. Resources References
A self-help workbook for LGBTQIA+ people to help them cope with different mental health challenges and improve their psychological wellbeing.
This is a super comprehensive book covering the main mental health struggles that queers experience, and how these relate to the world around us. The book is packed with compassionate and practical activities: a much needed resource to help us through the tough times. -- Meg-John Barker, author of Hell Yeah Self-Care This book completely bowled me over. Whilst many self-help books trot out epithets and homilies and a smattering of common sense, this book brings some of the most robust evidence-based psychological insights and applies them to LGBTQ lives and how to maintain our mental health. There are some great practical exercises and activities. If you can't afford therapy right now, then this would be a great investment. If you are in treatment, this book can help you maximise your progress. -- Dominic Davies, Founder of Pink Therapy
