"BE AS YOU ARE" CONSULTING SERVICE: SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS AND GENDER IDENTITY
 

Information for students
The service offers students of the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology the possibility of carrying out academic or post-graduate theoretical-practical internships. The asterisk (*) is used to indicate female, male and non-binary gender. Non-binary people do not recognize themselves solely as male or female.

Activity
The Consulting Service called "Be  as you are", intends to offer a space for consultancy and psychological support aimed at adolescents, young adults*, couples and families who find themselves facing issues relating to sexual orientations and/or gender identities. The service is accessible to deaf people.

Individual interventions
Discomfort, isolation and reactions of rejection from the peer group are unfortunately common feelings and experiences for people belonging to sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+). A space for listening and counseling, even for a brief time, can sometimes be able to have a positive impact on well-being and self-esteemfor those who, for example, identify as a gay/lesbian, bisexual, trans, non-binary, and those who are in doubt about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The "Be as you are" service intends to help, in particular, adolescents and young adults* to address issues such as identity, self-disclosure, and the construction of a satisfying sentimental and connected life in a protected and non-judgmental context.

Family interventions and parenting support
Parents of LGBTQ+ teenagers and young adults*
Among the most difficult challenges to parenting we can certainly consider the discovery of a sexual orientation or gender identity that does not conform to socio-cultural expectations of * one's * children. Sometimes parents experience feelings of anger or experiences of defeat, without being able to recover/start adequate communicative exchanges at such an important and crucial moment in the life of their *children*. The “Be as you are” service offers short and/or group interventions with parents of LGBTQ+ adolescents to support parenting and parenting skills. The meetings will be conducted in co-therapy by a psychologist and a systemic/relational therapist.

Homoparental families
Numerous studies have highlighted the presence of manysimilarities between families with two heterosexual parents and with same-sex parents, in the duration of the relationship, in the couple's satisfaction and in the level of intimacy, and in the way of dealing with conflicts. Same-sex parent families face the same life cycle stages as heterosexual families, but often face homophobic stereotypes. The center offers single-parent families, but also LGBTQ+ couples, brief interventions aimed at the well-being of each family member and support for parenting.

Interventions in schools
The service also deals with planning interventions in schools (e.g. prevention of homophobic and transphobic bullying).
For further information, please consult the following links:
http://lecosecambiano.roma.it/progetto
https://www.liveyourrainbow.it/la-scuola-mi-rispetti/

Interventions in organizational contexts
The service also deals with designing interventions in organizational contexts (e.g., staff training on issues related to sexual orientations and gender identities) to promote psychological well-being and inclusion. For example, collaborations have been activated with Unicredit (Unicorns Association) and the Diversity Brand Summit.

How to access the service
People interested in having more detailed information and/or making an appointment can send an email to seicomesei@uniroma1.it
The first interview is free, while subsequent meetings require the payment of a fee to be paid directly to the Service's Secretariat.
Where the service takes place: the meetings take place at the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Via dei Marsi, 78 (floor 4, room 423). Access to the Service is permitted upon reservation.

Tariff
Rates are VAT exempt. The following price list will come into force starting October 1, 2021.