The Home for Little Wanderers

CLINICAL CARE AND SUPPORT FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

The Home for Little Wanderers’ Out at Home program provides outpatient, therapeutic support services for LGBTQ+ individuals of all ages, families, couples and caregivers. It is operated in coordination with Waltham House, The Home’s residential group home for LGBTQ+ youth—the first of its kind in New England when it opened in 2002.

Many young people have experienced difficulty and discrimination due to their gender expression or sexual identities. Out at Home was created with the goal of providing LGBTQ+ competent clinical care, with a strong emphasis on keeping youth within their home environments and communities by offering comprehensive, specialized services and resources that educate, support, strengthen and empower.

Our clinicians offer innovative, ever-evolving programming, whether providing in-person or virtual clinical care, leading confidence and community-building group sessions, or counseling LGBTQ+ students in Greater Boston schools and colleges.

PRIMARY GOALS OF OUT AT HOME

Offer competent, clinical services to folks in the LGBTQ+ community, including their family members and other supports, by providing individual, family, couples and group therapy
Connect prospective clients to clinicians who have both specialized training and lived experience
Provide training and consultation to organizations in the community to further access to capable providers
Offer a minimal barrier approach to access Gender Affirming Care

SERVICES WE OFFER

Individual therapy sessions for the LGBTQ+ community with licensed and master’s level clinicians
Family therapy, group therapy and couples counseling with licensed and master’s level clinicians
Trauma-informed therapeutic approaches with emphasis on the complex and intersectional needs and vulnerabilities of our diverse clients
Clinicians who can provide EMDR, Dance and Movement Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing and a variety of other generalist practices
Collaboration and support within and outside of our home state of Massachusetts to support the LGBTQ+ community in accessing affirming and competent care with their providers
The provision of letters of support for Gender Affirming Surgery following assessment
Life skills support and community resource connections
Professional development and instruction services

GROUP OFFERINGS

Confidence Crew
Confidence Crew is a group space to work on confidence and social skills. This group targets youth who may feel they do not have others in their social environment that they can be their full self with. This group is heavily activity based and we have fun things to try, do and create each week. During our time together, we work on skills to build and foster healthy relationships.
Max Group Size: 10
Age Range: 12-15
Time and Location: Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30pm at 780 American Legion Highway, Roslindale MA. This is an ongoing group with rolling enrollment.
Who is appropriate: This group is for anyone who identifies as trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, questioning or gender creative.
Contact: Annie Atwater, LICSW (she/her) at 857.225.7084

SAGA: Sexuality and Gender Alliance
In SAGA we use the framework of art, expressive arts and sensory experiences, self-care and non-judgemental approaches to health to build coping and stress management skills as we explore our gender and body comfort, as well as discuss social factors that restrain us from being our true selves.
Max Group Size: 12
Age Range: 14-18
Time and Location: Every Tuesday from 5:30-6:30pm virtually, with occasional in-person sessions in Boston, MA
Who is appropriate: Anyone who identifies as trans/non-binary/gender non conforming or questioning. This group operates from a 10-session framework and will admit new clients on a rolling basis several times per calendar year.
Contact: Zoe Liu, MA (she/her) at 617.467.0288

Find Your Story: Narrative Therapy Group
The Find Your Story: Narrative Therapy group is a 12-session group where participants take turns exploring their history, lived experiences, relationships and internalized beliefs and how that informs a negative self view about themselves or aspects of their life. Members are offered the opportunity to develop increased self agency about their identity and value systems through the group process. Group will practice narrative therapy skills of externalization, re-authoring and linking lives.
Max Group Size: 12
Age Range: 18+
Time and Location: Tuesdays from 5:00-6:15pm. This group runs virtually in 12 week sections, with offerings starting in February, June and September.
Who is appropriate: This group is for anyone who wants to further understand how their history, past relationships and internalized beliefs continue to be disruptive in their life.
Contact: Joy Lochelt, LICSW (she/they) at 857.286.2140