John McDowell


As a clinician in a mental health setting, John was intrigued because this spoke to my desire for more training when working with LGBTQIA individuals. At the time, John was struggling with how to teach, train, and model for my fellow clinicians who are working with LGBTQIA individuals in an empathetic and safe way. As an out gay male, John felt the responsibility and privilege to help his fellow mental health therapists who were working with LGBTQIA identified children, young adults, and families on an everyday basis. John’s training and experience has led him to his current position as a Children’s Outpatient Mental Health Therapist working with youth and their families in Detroit.  He has co-facilitated training to his fellow therapists on working with LGBTQIA identified youth, and is one of two Family Acceptance Project Risk Screeners who assess for family rejection and related health risks in LGBT youth. In addition, he is trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which correlates to my academic and research interests: working with LGBTQIA population from a trauma-informed perspective. John was chosen to provide a variety of trainings, including mental health awareness, trauma, and LGBTQIA, to six charter schools in Detroit.


John’s capstone project will focus on developing training for teachers and administers on LGBTQIA children and families at one of stated six charter schools in Detroit.

John’s training began at the University of Michigan School of Social Work where he received his Master’s, concentrating on interpersonal skills in mental health.