Mental Health Expert Dr. VeroshK Breaking Barriers for the LGBTQ+ Community

Every day we see more organizations, communities, and even our own family members making an effort to understand the diversity in sexual orientation, gender, and all the rich layers that accompany the LGBTQ+ experience.

We spoke to mental health professional and astrologist Dr. VeroshK Williams, who shared her views on how the support towards the LGBTQ+ community has grown over the years.

“For the longest time we haven’t been responsible enough with the community to provide a healthy and safe environment, for people to come to our offices and get the help they need,” the Puerto Rican native told LATV.

But there’s still so much more to do. There are still misconceptions about mental health in the LGBTQ+ community, lots of it having to do with “religious” beliefs. Dr. VeroshK says she wishes mental health professionals could work with patients to approach different issues and topics in a safer manner, without having to break strict ethics codes. 

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“Mixing psychology and religious beliefs for the longest time has harmed the community. Conversion therapy is an example of that, and psychologists have been historically have been part of those. We can’t do that [anymore].”

Dr. VeroshK has also treated members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been diagnosed with HIV. She says the biggest fear her patients have shared with her is “how is [their] family or significant other is going to react to this diagnosis,” causing them to withdraw from important social groups and intimate friendships.

The solution? Talking more openly about the subject.

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“Get comfortable with talking about the experience because with HIV you can live a perfectly normal life with the appropriate treatment.”

Learn more about what it’s like to live with HIV by watching the stories we’re sharing each week on My Health Agenda.