NZ’s rainbow youth commonly worry about discrimination by mental health professionals

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-04-21 03:00

New Zealand

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Only half of rainbow rangatahi in NZ found their mental health professionals mostly or extremely helpful overall, according to a new survey of more than 950 young people in the rainbow community aged 14-24. They commonly reported that professionals made assumptions about their gender or sexuality, or had seemed surprised or uncomfortable when they came out. Given that an estimated 16 per cent of young people in Aotearoa are part of the rainbow community, the research team says their findings highlight the need for mental health professionals to seek education and training on their own, so that their clients are not left to do this work for them.