The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a 10-session LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) delivered via telehealth in a large sample of sexual minority women (SMW) in New York State. The treatment, EQuIP (Empowering Queer Identities in Psychotherapy), uses a CBT-based transdiagnostic approach to target the common cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to minority stress that lead to mental and behavioral health disparities for sexual minority women. We will assess in a 2-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) whether the EQuIP treatment demonstrates significant reductions in heavy drinking (HD) and mental health symptoms (e.g., depression) compared to LGBTQ-affirmative Treatment-As-Usual. The investigators will assess whether psychosocial mechanisms (e.g., emotion dysregulation) mediate reductions in heavy drinking and separately and identify whether EQuIP is differentially efficacious across key demographic factors.
The purpose of this 2-arm randomized controlled trial is to assess the efficacy of a 10-session lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-affirmative cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) delivered via telehealth in a large sample of sexual minority women (SMW) in New York State. The investigators will assess whether the EQuIP(Empowering Queer Identities in Psychotherapy) treatment demonstrates significant reductions in heavy drinking (HD) and mental health symptoms (e.g., depression) compared to LGBTQ-affirmative treatment-as-usual.