The Montrose Center

The Montrose Center's counseling services are part of the Living Insightfully for Empowerment (LIFE) program, a psychotherapy and counseling program designed to empower clients' self-sufficiency in recovery without fear of encountering prejudice, ignorance, homophobia, or heterosexism in an LGBT-affirming environment. LIFE serves special populations of the LGBT community through Anti-Violence, HIV/AIDS, and Chemical Dependency programming. Anti-Violence staff provides counseling services to address issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault, hate crimes, and childhood sexual abuse. HIV/AIDS staff provides individual couples and group counseling to people affected by or infected with HIV or AIDS.See Schedule OChemical Dependency counselors offer a combination of education, therapy, and counseling as a state-licensed outpatient treatment program designed primarily for the LGBT community. All programs above are LGBT affirming to provide the best service and outcomes for the target population. All phases of the program offer services to family members and others significant in the lives of clients participating in the program. Counseling services had in-kind professional services in the form of student interns. The value of the in-kind services was $99,952.

The senior program provides counseling, case management services, social and recreational activities, and health wellness education to LGBT people 60 and over. The Youth program provides adolescents and young adults who identify as LGBTQ outreach, counseling, role models, and peer support to help prevent homelessness among youth. The Women's program supports lesbian women, breaking down barriers that lesbians face when accessing health and social services through advocacy, professional and community education, and case management. The program also holds an annual celebration dance supporting women and their friends. The Senior program had in-kind professional services in the form of student interns. The value of the in-kind services was $11,043.

The Montrose Center's education programs provide current and accessible information on HIV, sexually transmitted infections, chemical dependency, hepatitis, and tuberculosis by offering seminars on homophobia, heterosexism, and cultural sensitivity. The Montrose Center also provides anti-violence education that includes violence dynamics in the LGBT community. Educational services offer information and training not only to LGBT people but to the greater Houston metropolitan area as a whole to create LGBT cultural sensitivity. Seminars and outreach conversations are provided in prisons, halfway houses, inpatient and outpatient recovery centers, schools, social organizations, businesses and corporations, community and neighborhood groups, health care and legal professionals, churches, and families.