imi - a mental health tool for LGBTQ+ teens

• Are you a youth looking for imi? Go to imi.guide
• Are you a youth serving professional or a trusted adult wanting to know more about imi? Read on. You are in the right place.
• Already know about imi and just want to help spread the word? Download the imi promotion kit here.

What is imi?

imi is a series of guides, designed with and for LGBTQ+ teens, to help explore and affirm their identity. It’s free, backed by science, and is available to anyone and everyone.

Who made it?

The funding and idea came from a collaboration between Hopelab, CenterLink, and It Gets Better Project. The product, though, has been made with inputs and contributions from over 600 LGBTQ+ teens and the team at Hopelab. We’ve also worked with some really great partners to make sure imi works.

What do you mean by ‘science-backed’?

When we say science-backed we mean that imi was informed by and based on research in the field of sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) mental health and wellbeing. You can read more here: An identity affirming web app to help sexual and gender minority youth cope with minority stress: Pilot Randomized Control Trial.

Does imi work? What did you learn from testing it?

imi was tested in a randomized controlled study and showed promise for helping LGBTQ+ teens manage sexual and gender minority stress. imi improved LGBTQ+ teens coping skills and their confidence in their coping abilities.You can read more here: An identity affirming web app to help sexual and gender minority youth cope with minority stress: Pilot Randomized Control Trial.

What are youth saying?

• “It helped me see myself in a different light...my self loathing for being a part of the community is because it’s been internalized due to my environment.”
• “Honestly the whole [experience] was just super uplifting! It’s a very healthy balance of what you want to hear and what you need to hear."
• “This was almost too relatable, it brought tears to my eyes.”

What if I have feedback?

We’d love to hear your feedback. If you have anything to share about a specific page or bit of imi, click the 'Feedback’ button on the right side of the page on imi. It’ll ask you a little bit of info about you, and will send our team your feedback along with a screenshot of the page you’re on (don’t worry, we’ll only see the page and nothing else).

I work with youth. How can I let them know about imi?

• Refer them to imi.guide.
• Download the imi promotion kit here.