MLUC Collaborates with Counseling Center for LGBTQ Youth

A group of MLUC leaders including Holly Alden, Laura House-Kelly, Carolyn Jaeger, Maureen McCarthy, Carrie Nielson, and Celia Nielsen worked this year with Dawn Star Sarahs-Borchelt, Director of Lifespan Faith Development, to launch a plan to help support LGBTQ youth who seek counseling through Arrive Therapy in Paoli.  

LGBTQ youth routinely struggle with depression, severe loneliness, social isolation, and suicidal impulses. It is known that these mental health conditions can be addressed through competent professional therapy. Arrive Therapy is a respected counseling practice in our own area that prioritizes the mental health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ population. For more information about their services, please visit Arrive Therapy.

Funding for MLUC’s support is made possible by the Christl S. Patzau endowed fund at MLUC. The purpose of the Patzau fund is to provide counseling for children, youth, and families who could not otherwise afford it. Consistent with that goal, the fund will help subsidize the cost of counseling for clients of Arrive Therapy up to age 21. MLUC also plans to explore other ways to build connection with Arrive Therapy in order to support the queer community and to raise congregational awareness of LGBTQ mental health issues.

To learn more about these subsidies for LGBTQ counseling, please contact Dawn Star at dawnstar@mluc.org.