UChicago Student Wellness is committed to providing inclusive, affirming, and culturally competent services and support to our students. We strive to ensure that our services are comprehensive, accessible, and welcoming to students. Student Wellness staff are highly skilled, diverse, interdisciplinary team with various staff members who identify as LGBTQ+ and who have expertise and experience working with LGBTQ+ students. All of our staff are committed to supporting the diverse health and wellbeing needs of our LGBTQ+ and gender expansive communities in a variety of ways.

We understand that students have unique and diverse intersectionality of identities, experiences, and needs. As such, we engage in continuing education trainings for updated information and terminology as well as ongoing consultations to continuously develop our services and practices. LGBTQ+ students may seek our services for a variety of reasons, such as questioning or exploring sexual orientation or sexuality, assistance with the coming out process, body image or eating issues, sexual health concerns, and considering gender transition. Throughout your time at UChicago, we are here for you.

Medical Services

• Preventive, primary care, and co-located medical services that include:
  • Vaccinations for HPV, hepatitis A, and meningococcal disease
  • Counseling, screening, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
  • PrEP counseling and prescribing, including WHO 2+1+1
  • Support for students with diverse gender identities for weight or eating disorders
  • Primary care and support for students considering gender transition
• UChicago Student Wellness partners closely with consultants and experts from across the UChicago Medicine campus to provide access to the following specialized LGBTQ+ medical services:
  • Infectious diseases clinic for anal health, including Pap smears and colposcopies
  • Endocrinology and surgical expertise for students seeking assistance in transfeminizing and transmasculinizing hormone and surgery therapies

Mental Health Services

• In addition to all our regular counseling and psychiatric services for an array of mental health concerns, compassionate care is available for students who are:
  • Experiencing oppression or microaggressions regarding their identities
  • Exploring their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria
  • Have concerns regarding their dating, romantic relationship(s), and interpersonal dynamics
  • Navigating challenging family dynamics and community
  • Seeking assistance with the coming out process
  • Questioning or exploring sexual orientation, sexuality, and sexual identity
• Caring case management services to assist students to connect to community referrals and resources as needed, such as Howard Brown, The Center on Halsted, Live Oak, and IntraSpectrum
• Group therapy and support spaces for LGBTQ+ students for community

Campus and Community Outreach

• Group Wellness Coaching sessions for shared wellness concerns and experiences in an open and supportive environment
• Body positive and sex positive workshops and talks (student-led through our Peer Health Advocates Program)
• UChicago Student Wellness staff are key members of the Campus Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Diversity and Inclusion Action Team, which recently launched the Inclusive Language Resource
• Partnerships with campus offices, such as LGBTQ Student Life of the Center for Identity + Inclusion to support LGBTQ+ students of colors through workshops and panels
• Past consultation through Gender Work Group that examined ways in which the University can be more gender inclusive
  • Outcomes of the Gender Work Group included: establishment of gender neutral housing, using preferred names in class lists, and establishing gender neutral bathrooms

Additional COVID-19 Health Resources

• The Trevor Project: Implications of COVID-19 for LGBTQ Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
• The Trevor Project: How LGBTQ youth can cope with anxiety and stress during COVID-19
• National Center for Transgender Equality: COVID-19 Resources
• National Council for Behavioral Health: LGBTQ+ Resources during COVID-19 
• 9 Strategies for Quarantining in a Non-affirming Environment