World Pride is an international celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community and is currently being hosted in Sydney, Australia! Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and discovering who you are can be a very confusing, challenging, stigmatising and a lonely experience for young people. As parents and carers, supporting our children and making sure they know that they are loved and accepted for who they are is so important. We know that being a parent of an LGBTQIA+ child can also be confusing and you may be unsure of how to support your young one.   In honor of world pride, we asked Dr Kat, a queer friendly GP who supports many wonderful LGBTQIA+ patients, questions from parents.    My daughter came out as gay and is being bullied at school. It’s really affecting her mental health and she has started self-harming. How do I get her support? Watching your child struggle with their mental health, and to see them self harming, is a very upsetting experience for parents. Self harming is often done as a way for people to cope with painful emotions or feelings, or to "feel something" rather than feel "nothing". It can present in many different ways, but always needs to be taken seriously, as it is typically a sign of deep distress, where the person does not know how to cope with that distress.  I would recommend starting with your GP, to talk about how to get psychological support to help with both general support for their mental health, as well as learning ways to handle their distress rather than self harming. This can be done through private psychologists, through organisations like headspace, or in more severe cases may be through a public mental health service like CYMHS (child and youth mental health service). I strongly recommend making a long appointment, as this often takes quite a bit of time to explore and decide on the best next steps. A very helpful tool in the meantime to help with self harm thoughts  is the "Calm Harm" app - it is a fantastic free app that gives many different tasks or activities to try in order to manage urges to self harm.  Click here to learn more about supporting your teen who is self harming   My son identifies as trans, and wants to have gender affirming surgery. I’m feeling worried and confused, can you tell me more about what this means?  Gender affirmation means different things for everyone!  For some this may only mean social transition, for example using their chosen name, preferred pronouns, and gender expression (wearing the clothes or hairstyles etc that match their gender identity). Others may want to go through legal transition, changing their name and/or gender legally.   For some, but not all, this may also involve medical or physiological transition. This may include medication including hormones, or surgery. For those who are seeking hormonal treatment or surgery, even amongst people who identify as the same gender, their goals may vary widely. For example, it may include "top" surgery (breast removal or augmentation), facial surgery (to change the face shape), or "bottom" surgery (genital reconfiguration), amongst others. We often discuss with patients that it is not necessary to do all (or any!) of these to be trans, so once you find from your child about what surgery they have as their goal, a good resource to look at is www.transhub.org.au/surgery , which has more information on surgical options for trans people. Click here to learn more about gender and your teen.     My teen has shared with me that they don’t like their body and mentioned something called gender dysphoria. I’ve noticed they’re eating less and exercising much more than they used to, should I be worried? Unfortunately, while there is limited research in this space, unhelpful eating patterns and eating disorders appear to be more common amongst transgender and gender diverse people than cisgender people. While there is no single reason why the risk may be higher, transgender individuals often have rather intense and often negative feelings about their body, particularly those that are incongruent with their gender. For example, transgender men may dislike their hips, or breasts, and engage in unhealthy behaviours around food or exercise to lose weight and change their body shape. I would recommend booking a long appointment with your teens GP to discuss this further and determine whether there is an underlying eating disorder present - but regardless,  your teens feelings about their body and their relationship with food and exercise should be explored further to ensure they aren't engaging in unhealthy behaviours.  Click here to learn more about body image, eating disorders and your teen.    I want to make sure my daughter is educated on safe sex, but would like to be inclusive when we have the chat. Any tips? That is a fantastic approach, as traditionally the majority of the focus has been around avoiding pregnancy and around heterosexual sex, which of course is not all inclusive! It is of course important to discuss barrier protection if your daughter is having sex with someone with a penis, to avoid both STIs and pregnancy.  However, a discussion around safe sexual practices around all forms of sexual contact is important, as many STIs can be spread through skin to skin contact, oral sex, anal sex, and sharing toys. I tend to avoid talking about safe sex in terms of the gender of the partner, and keep the language general, as pigeonholing advice based on sexual orientation may not be inclusive - for example if your daughter identified as a lesbian, her sexual partners may include trans women, and therefore discussion around contraception and penetrative sex would still be important! It is not always easy to navigate, but having ongoing discussions about safe sex and ensuring your daughter feels comfortable to ask questions is the most important thing. If in doubt Click here to learn more about talking with your teenager about safe sex. You can also find more information about sexuality and teens here.     My teen is non-binary and wants to start taking hormones. What are the pros and cons of this? This is a big and difficult topic! I spend a very long time talking about the pros and cons with patients before I prescribe hormones. For non binary people, the goals of treatment can vary widely.  They may specifically be looking for some side effects of hormonal therapy (e.g. deepening of voice on testosterone), but may not be happy with some others (e.g. hair growth, or acne). The most important thing is to have an open and honest discussion with a doctor who understands the likely outcomes and can go through the individual pros and cons for each person - I recommend seeing a GP or endocrinologist who works specifically in this space to get more individualised advice.      If you would like to learn more, we have included some resources below. We also encourage you to reach out on our forums, and connect with other parents and carers in the community for support. LGBTQ+ Health Australia  Rainbow Families Transcend - Families, Parents and Carers  Qlife   ... View more

We’re getting closer to the end of the year, and what a year it has been! As school holidays have begun or are beginning, we know that this time of year can be a very busy and difficult time for parents are carers. Over the next few months, many important celebrations will take place: Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Chinese New Year. Even for those of us who don't celebrate holidays at this time, the end of a year can bring up complex emotions and struggles for many. - Grieving loved ones who are no longer with us  - Spending time with family - Increased triggers for drinking alcohol, taking drugs and  gambling  - Struggling with money, financial stress and gift giving  - Support services are shutting down, and mental health professionals are taking leave  - Loneliness - School holiday stress and pressure - Increased carer or family responsibilities If you’re feeling nervous or worried about the next couple of months and wondering how you will get through it and support your family, remember that you aren’t alone, and help is available. We understand that this can be a difficult time for parents and carers and have put together a list of resources to make getting the support you need easier.  Parenting and carer support ReachOut coaching service provides access to free and confidential one-on-one support with a professional family and parenting coach. Raising Children provides information and resources on nutrition, development, behaviour and parenting children of all ages. Raising children also has information, tips and resources for single parents Deadly Tots provides information, resources, parenting courses and community events for Aboriginal families. Relationships Australia NSW  offers a range of support services, courses and programs to help single parents and their children cope with change after a family separation Parentline offers free telephone counselling services to parents and carers all around Australia. In some states, Parentline may also offer face-to-face counselling, webchat, parenting courses, and provide resources for positive wellbeing for families. Parentline ACT: 02 6287 3833 9 am-5 pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays) Parent Line NSW: 1300 1300 52 9 am-9 pm, Monday to Friday; 4 pm-9 pm, weekends Parentline Queensland and Northern Territory: 1300 30 1300 8 am-10 pm, 7 days Parent Helpline South Australia: 1300 364 100 24 hours, 7 days Parentline Tasmania: 1300 808 178 24 hours, 7 days Parentline Victoria: 13 22 89 8 am-12 am, 7 days (including public holidays) Ngala Parenting Line (WA): 08 9368 9368 (metro) / 1800 111 546 (regional) 8am-8pm, 7 days   Financial aid and Christmas hampers  The gifts, food, parties and expectations can all start to add up. If you’re not able to spend money comfortably, go easy on yourself – the expectations can add to and even prolong the stress. Instead, do something meaningful for others and give gifts such as a handpicked care package, a babysitting voucher or an offer to help with the huge pile of dishes after Christmas lunch. If you’re struggling to afford essential items like food, medication and transport costs, here are some services that might be worth contacting.  Ask Izzy is a national directory for food, emergency relief and community lunches/dinners.  Salvos Assistance Line can be contacted at 1300 371 288 and provide financial assistance for essential items. Salvo's food hamper and gift assistance can be contacted for assistance with Christmas gifts. Vinnies directory for national food and emergency relief services  National debt helpline  access to financial counsellor/advocate  Family and relationship struggles  The end of the year and new year can bring stressful relationship challenges – dealing with grief and loss, coping with complicated family dynamics or spending time away from loved ones.  Sadly, it can also be a time when domestic and family violence surfaces. No matter what it is you’re going through, know that we’re here to listen and point you in the right direction if you need emergency help.  1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 provides crisis counselling, information and referral for anyone experiencing domestic and family violence. They also have a local service directory on their website.  Family Relationship Advice Line  1800 050 321 is a helpline for anyone dealing with separation issues. They offer advice and information on maintaining healthy relationships, navigating family conflicts and provide referrals to support further.  Griefline 1300 845 745  is a helpline for people coping with grief and loss. They also have online forums and support groups.  Listening Ear 02 9477 6777 is a non crisis hotline for people experiencing loneliness and isolation. Anyone who needs someone to talk to is welcome to call them.  Homelessness  If you find yourself without a safe place to sleep, there’s a good chance you’ve got a lot on your plate. It’s overwhelming to figure out your next steps, so consider contacting one of these state-based homelessness services.  ACT OneLink 1800 176 468  NSW Link2Home 1800 152 152  VIC Crisis Accommodation 1800 825 955  QLD Homeless Hotline 1800 474 753  WA EntryPoint 1800 124 684 SA Homelessness Connect 1800 003 308 TAS Housing Connect 1800 800 588 NT Shelter Me website  Drug and alcohol support  Celebrating with friends and family might mean exposure to drugs and alcohol will increase, which can be challenging if you’re limiting your consumption or recovery from addiction.  If you need support, information or a referral, it might be helpful to get in touch with your local alcohol and drug service.  National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline 1800 250 015 is free to call and available 24/7. They provide counselling, treatment and information on support services.  Turning Point offers online counselling and a peer forum so you can connect with people who understand what you’re going through and support your recovery.  Family Drug Support Australia 1300 368 186 is a telephone support service for families affected by alcohol and drug issues.  The Daybreak App can help connect you with others changing their relationship with alcohol.  Giving back  Christmas can be a really challenging time for many, and supporting those who may be going through a difficult time can be especially rewarding. For example, you could serve a meal at a community centre, take gifts to an approved charity accepting Christmas gifts, or visit people at your nursing home. Some councils can also offer a community Christmas party you can join.   Here are some volunteering opportunities if you’re interested in giving back to your community.  Christmas Volunteering Opportunities SecondBite  The Smith Family  Salvos Christmas Donation Drive   Helpful articles Telephone support for parents Single parenting Effective communication and teenagers Getting help for teenagers Blended families Family conflict 10 tips for surviving school holidays Supporting your young person during the holidays   Self-care tips for parents   Crisis services  Lifeline 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78 13Yarn 13 96 76       ... View more