In this episode, we talk about providing behavioral health care services to Veterans with LGBTQ+ identities with Dr. Michael Kauth, co-director of VA’s South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and director of the LGBTQ+ Health Program, Patient Care Services. Dr. Kauth details important considerations to ensure equitable health care and to promote an affirming, welcoming environment in the health care setting, and provides resources and training to support the work of behavioral health care providers.
Dr. Michael R. Kauth is a clinical psychologist and director of the LGBTQ+ Health Program, Veterans Health Administration, a role he shares with Dr. Jillian Shipherd. The LGBTQ+ Health Program oversees two health care policies, clinician training, and the LGBTQ+ Point of Contact Program, which includes the facility LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinators and LGBTQ+ VISN leads. Dr. Kauth is also a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, where he teaches a course on LGBTQ+ health and guest lectures. He has published more than 80 journal articles, four books, and 17 book chapters on LGBT Veteran health, sexual health, implementation of educational interventions, and the evolution of same-sex attraction.
Listen to this episode and hear what Dr. Kauth has to share about providing equitable care for all Veterans.