Envision:You’s New Q is for Questioning Program

Interview with Chief Executive Officer Steven Haden and Program Manager Brad Barfield

Holding true to Envision:You’s vision, focused on improving LGBTQ+ mental health and helping folks in the community to better navigate the world, the nonprofit is turning its attention to LGBTQ+ youth and their families with its new program, Q is for Questioning.

Chief Executive Officer Steven Haden says Envision:You informs new programs through community feedback, referencing input from clinicians, the lived experiences of community members surrounding a child’s coming out, and the impacts and aftermath for the child and their family as the inspiration for Q is for Questioning.

Haden says this feedback showed that most parents, even the most compassionate ones, often have no idea what to do once their child comes out. He adds that in many cases, families and children live in communities that aren’t necessarily supportive, either.

“What we also know is that about 40% of homeless youth identify as part of the queer community,” Haden says. “So that’s really important, and what that tells us is that when children do come out, in most places in the country, they’re displaced from their homes.”

In addition, Haden notes that, within 72 hours of going to the streets, many homeless youth engage in harmful activities, oftentimes out of survival, and become more susceptible to human trafficking, sexual or physical abuse, and substance use.

Haden believes that most parents want the best for their child and poses the question, “How can we create a program that would help educate parents and caregivers?” It’s especially relevant, given research from the Trevor Project and others that shows just one supportive adult in a queer youth’s life reduces the likelihood or suicide and self-harming behaviors substantially.

The program itself is a series of interactive workshops to be produced in communities across Colorado, featuring a panel discussion by a licensed clinician, someone from the community with lived experience, and an Envision:You team member. The team also hopes to include someone from one of the regional community behavioral health centers or local department of health to participate in these conversations.

Program Manager Brad Barfield notes that an additional benefit of the program is creating a network for families, parents, and caregivers to recognize that they are not alone in these discussions and provide support with others looking for the same resources, ultimately building the spheres of influence within individual families.

“So, not only does that child not feel so isolated, but (families) are able to support each other in their own environment, and I think that’s one of the things that we’re really excited about with this system and what tools, knowledge gathering, and sharing can do,” Barfield says. Ultimately, the community piece is just as important as the elements of education. It’s Envision:You’s goal that folks walk away from the program not only with better resources to care of the young queer person in their life but to also have the tools to continue those conversations with one another and within their own circles.

Haden says that, yes, there are training programs out there, but Envision:You’s Q is for Questioning hones in on high-quality, evidence-based work, which he says could ultimately be used in other areas of the country, creating a solution for training providers in other states.

“We know, through our own research and conversations within the community, that what does exist is not solving the problem,” Haden says. “And now, we don’t purport to have a miracle cure here, but what we believe is that we’re creating an evidence-based training program with quality content.”

Barfield also points to the fact that being a queer kid is an ever-evolving and shifting experience, along with the culture as a whole, and one of the best parts about the program is its ability to grow and change. Especially given the plentiful conversations surrounding gender variance and the broad spectrum of LGBTQ+ identity, family members sometimes have a bit of catching up to do. 

Should the conversation around folks in the LGBTQ+ community continue to evolve, which it surely will, Q is for Questioning is set up to grow alongside it.

“I’m just really excited to show who we are, where we come from, and what makes us unique, for those parents and caregivers and the kids in their lives,” Barfield says.

Ultimately, Haden and Barfield both harp on the fact that these symptoms, the trauma, and after effects that queer youth face from not being supported and affirmed, or even shunned and kicked out, not only create harm for them in the present but can ripple for years and years into adulthood.

Haden specifically points to Colorado having one of the highest youth suicide rates in the country.

“When I think about a 13-year-old who’s lost hope for a better day, it’s heartbreaking. It is what personally propels me, and I think most members of the team, to show up and do this work every day,” Haden says. “We want young people to believe that there’s somebody who cares about them; there’s resources there that are going to support their life; there’s an opportunity to build community with people that care about them, even if it’s not their biological family.”

Barfield also encourages anyone working at organizations who want to get involved with the program to reach out at info@envision-you.org to see how they can get connected and participate in this inspiring work. Q is for Questioning is just one step to begin making that difference and reducing the number of young people who have lost hope. The program’s workshops begin this summer. 

To learn more about Q is for Questioning, visit envision-you.org/q-is-for-questioning.