Whitman Walker Health

About Whitman Walker Health

Whitman-Walker Health is a community health center in Washington, DC, that has served the city for more than 50 years with primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care, all built around an LGBTQ+ affirming, whole-person approach. Substance use treatment is part of their behavioral health department, alongside psychotherapy, psychiatry, and peer support, and they serve both adults and youth. For people working on their drinking or drug use, they offer two outpatient paths: an abstinence-focused treatment program and a substance use management option for those who aren’t aiming for complete abstinence. Behavioral health services are based at their 14th Street NW health center and at the Max Robinson Center in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Southeast DC, with some youth services delivered out in the community.

Care begins with an assessment and referral process, where a licensed therapist helps each person sort out which services fit their needs. The team includes social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, psychiatric doctors and nurse practitioners, and trained peer staff, and they offer group psychotherapy, peer support, integrated brief behavioral counseling, and a youth mental health program for ages 13 to 30. Psychiatry and individual psychotherapy are reserved for people who are already medical or primary care patients, so pairing addiction care with a primary care relationship there opens up more options. Patients can also tap into free legal services, insurance enrollment help, and dedicated transgender care such as hormone therapy, which can make it easier to tackle substance use alongside other health and life needs in one place.