PRIDE Institute Opens PRISM Program to Address LGBTQ Mental Health Concerns

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — (March 10, 2010) — PRIDE Institute recently opened the doors of PRISM, its outpatient affiliate program to further serve the unique mental health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning communities (LGBTQ). The PRISM program helps members of the LGBTQ and its ally communities deal with depression, anxiety, sexual health concerns, trauma, grief, loss and more.

PRIDE, the nation’s first and longest-running, full-service mental health facility exclusively for the LGBTQ communities, offers auxiliary individual therapy sessions through PRISM—which stands for “Promoting Recovery in Sexual health and Mental health.” Additionally, specialty therapy groups will be added throughout the year depending on client need. Such previous groups have included topics like “Men’s Sexual Health” and “Getting What You Want from Your Relationships.”

For the younger generation, PRISM works closely with GLBTQ Online High School to provide online and phone counseling and education services, as well as using its nationwide network of mental health services to assist patients and their families in finding services in their own area.

PRISM currently has two psychologists on staff and will continue adding all levels of clinical licensure staff members as needed. Weston Edwards, Ph.D., L.P., is the clinical director of PRISM, and he is assisted by Shannon Garrity, Psy.D., L.P. Both doctors are professionally trained in psychology and take a holistic therapeutic approach with their clients, addressing the psychological, behavioral, emotional, spiritual, sexual and chemical dependency needs of each individual patient.

Starting in mid-March, Jon Grant, M.D., will provide psychiatric services at PRISM, as well. Grant is the current medical director at PRIDE and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota; he is well known in the recovering community for his great patient care.

“The PRISM program is another way PRIDE Institute is providing mental health and chemical dependency treatment to the LGBTQ members of our community,” said Rick Pliszka, chief executive officer at the PRIDE Institute. “At PRIDE, we are doing everything we can to provide our patients with the highest quality treatment they can receive while in an accepting and open environment, and PRISM is an extension of our commitment to serve.”

About PRIDE Institute
Founded in 1986, the PRIDE Institute is the nation’s first and leading provider of inpatient and outpatient programs devoted exclusively to treating the mental health and chemical dependency needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) communities by placing them in a setting exclusively for members of the LGBTQ community. The freestanding 42-bed facility has graduated more than 10,000 LGBTQ members through its healthy alternative to traditional mental health and chemical dependency treatment programs, focusing on the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, sexual compulsivity, depression, anxiety and HIV/AIDS-related stress and grief. For more information, please visit www.pridemediapsi.com

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