LGBTQ+ Health Resources
Do you need to find LGBTQ-competent medical professionals in the Boulder area? Are you looking for on-campus mental and physical health care? We know that finding professionals who understand LGBTQ+ experiences can be difficult. Check out the resources below for a head start!
If you don’t find the resources you’re looking for below, or if you want some one-on-one help navigating these and other resources, you can always reach out to our staff at pride@colorado.edu.
Mental Health
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) uses a short-term care model for individual counseling and psychiatry. CAPS providers work with each student to create a personalized care plan specific to their needs and can make recommendations or referrals for ongoing care in the community as needed. CAPS maintains a webpage of groups, resources, and information specifically for LGBTQIA2S+ mental health care at CU Boulder. Learn more here.
The Sex and Gender Hour is a virtual space open to LGBTQIA+ students, individuals who are questioning, and allies, where they can ask questions, voice concerns, and discover resources related to sex, sexuality, and gender. This group meets Fridays at 10:00am.
The Transgender and Gender Diverse Trauma Group aims to create a safe space for students who identify within the TGNC community to feel supported, learn positive and healthy coping skills, and regain a sense of power and strength that may have been challenged by previous trauma. You can find more information about this group here.
CAPS also offers a Transgender and Gender Creative Group. This group welcomes CU students of all ages and backgrounds who identify as cross-gendered, transgender, gender variant and gender queer to a supportive space. This group will focus on encouraging individuals towards personal development, creating and utilizing workable coping skills, and providing acceptance of each person’s unique journey. Read more about the group and see their upcoming sessions here.
The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) is a free confidential counseling/consulting/referral service designed to provide assistance to faculty and staff for personal or work-related concerns that may interfere with job performance. All FSAP staff are trained as generalist counselors and are equipped to deal with a wide range of personal and work related issues. You must be a CU Boulder employee to use FSAP services, and services are no cost to all CU Boulder faculty and staff members.
To schedule an appointment, fill out the FSAP Contact Form.
The Umbrella Collective was developed to be a group practice where clients can see themself reflected in their therapists from an inclusive standpoint. The Collective consists of a network of talk therapists who specialize in working with an intersectional lens, centering the margins in the therapeutic work. Counselors at the Umbrella Collective social justice, dedicated to ongoing training and education in best practices for BIPOC, LGBTQ people, and people who experience life on the margins.
Queer Asterisk is a mental health organization offering counseling services in Boulder, Denver, Longmont, and Fort Collins. The organization was founded with the goal of creating a different kind of mental health organization, rooted in social justice advocacy, devoted to compassionate counseling and education, and run entirely by queer and transgender professionals. All counseling services are queer informed and affirming with an emphasis on queer resilience and vitality. Therapists and counselors are able to offer sliding scale pricing, as well as full and partial scholarships.
Out Boulder County’s Trans Health in Boulder County provides the names of off-campus counselors and medical providers that work with transgender clients and patients.
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network is a healing justice organization that works to transform mental health for queer and trans people of color. Launched in May 2016, the network provides a space for queer and trans people of color committed to improving mental health for our communities.
Trans Lifeline's Hotline is a peer support service run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers. Operators are located all over the U.S. and Canada, and are all trans-identified. If you are in crisis or just need someone to talk to, even if it's just about whether or not you're trans, please call. We will do our best to support you and provide you with resources. We believe that some of the best support that a trans person in crisis can have is a fellow member of our community with shared lived experience. The hotline is open 24/7! We have operators guaranteed to be on call 8:00 am-2:00 am. Operators are also frequently available during off-hours, so please call whenever you need to! Trans Lifeline is a Contact USA-accredited hotline.
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. We provide LGBTQ youth with 24/7 crisis counseling via phone, text, and chat.
The CU Collegiate Recovery Center (CRC) provides community, support, and connection for students, faculty, and staff in recovery or seeking recovery from a wide range of behaviors. CUCRC's resources include:
- Support meetings, including an LGBTQ+ recovery space
- Events and activities
- The CORE Member Program has additional offerings including sober campus housing, scholarships, work-study, group trips, and special events
To get in touch, email cucrc@colorado.edu.
Medical Care
CU's Medical Services provides gender-affirming hormone therapy. If you are interested in starting or continuing gender-affirming hormone therapy, please call 303-492-5432 to schedule a consultation appointment. Our providers are trained in and use the current World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care to initiate and manage hormone replacement therapy.
The CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) provides unlimited surgical benefits. For referral letters to a surgeon (your surgeon may or may not require such a letter), please schedule an appointment to meet with a Medical Services provider.
If your surgeon requires two letters, you can also schedule an appointment to meet with a Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) provider.
If you work with an out-of-state surgeon, the LGBTQ+ Care Team can provide post-surgical care upon your return.
Please make an appointment with an insurance benefit specialist and the referral coordinator to ensure you know what will be covered.
CU Boulder's Medical Services clinic offers Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. If you are interested in PrEP counseling, prescription initiation, and ongoing maintenance, please call 303-492-5432.
Boulder County AIDS Project provides support, advocacy, and education to those in our community who are living with or affected by HIV, and serves as an outreach and information center to prevent the further transmission of HIV. Services provided include medical and bilingual case management, insurance assistance, financial support, pro bono professional services such as legal aid, nutritional support through our on-site food pantry, and free HIV and hepatitis testing.
Boulder Community Health provides comprehensive health services and is committed to creating an affirming and supportive experience for LGBTQ patients. In addition to general health and medical services, Boulder Community Health provides gender-affirming surgical procedures.
Denver Health provides LGBTQ health services, including preventative health screenings, management of chronic conditions, sexual health services, same-day pre-exposure prophylaxis, HIV services, Hormone Replacement Therapy(HRT) on an Informed Consent Model, voice therapy, Behavioral Health services, and gender confirmation surgeries that are considered in-network for CU student health plans.
OutCare Health is a national database of LGBTQ+ competent healthcare providers. Visit the database and enter your area code to see a list of medical providers.
Finances & Insurance
All students can access Medical Services regardless of health insurance coverage. You can use your own private health insurance plan (with or without BuffCare) or your CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Out-of-pocket costs may vary based on insurance benefits and the type of visit.
Our Student Health Insurance and Referrals team can also assist you in reviewing your Gold SHIP benefits and answering questions related to insurance coverage or billing. For more information or to schedule a private in-person or phone conversation, please contact our Student Health Insurance and Referrals team at 303-492-5107.
Please note that if you are on an insurance plan under a family member, some codes and charges may be present on the explanation of benefits (EOB) that is submitted to the policy owner. You can discuss this with your insurance plan or with our Student Health Insurance and Referrals team. If you are over 18, your medical records are not accessible to others unless you sign a release of information.
Health and Wellness Services provides financial assistance to students through our Medical Expense Assistance Fund (MEAF). This program is designed to provide assistance to students who are unable to pay medical- or prescription-related expenses. Applications for financial support open every July and remain open until funds are exhausted. Read more about the fund and how to apply for assistance here.