LGBT+ AFFIRMATIVE THERAPY

Do you identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender?

Are you grappling with feelings that have you wondering how you identify?

Or are you going through a rough patch in life and seeking support from an affirmative therapist?

Wherever you’re at, it’s common to struggle with questions and fears. You may find yourself wondering things like:

Will the world as I know it crumble around me if I come out to people?
Who I am really?
What will people think?

There are many different reasons a person might seek LGBT+ affirmative therapy. If you’re seeking LGBT+ affirmative therapy, you might be questioning your own identity and feel completely alone while struggling with internal questions about who you are. You might be in agony over the process of coming out and have no idea where to start. You might be trying to figure out a difficult relationship, life transition or event and need support without having to explain being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender to someone.

If you’re looking for an LGBT+ affirmative therapist, you may be struggling with challenges directly related to how you identify. Questions people often come to therapy with sound like:

“I’m very attracted to a person of the same gender, does that really mean I’m gay?”
“I’m think I’m bisexual, but how do I really know?”
“My church is important to me, can I be lesbian and still be faithful?”

Or, you may be looking for an LGBT+ affirmative therapist because of turbulent situations related to coming out. Coming out is a continuous lifelong process and it can present as an expected or unexpected hurdle at any point.

Some common hurdles include:

Questioning how you should tell people or wishing there was any easy way to do it
Worry about what your family will say or do if you tell them
Feeling ostracized by the people you love and unsure what to do next
Experiencing an unexpected response after coming out to people you love
Starting a new job without clarity around how to be yourself

In addition to struggles related to directly to identifying as LGBT+, people often seek an LGBT+ affirmative therapist to cope with symptoms related to common experiences like anxiety and depression. While problems like anxiety and depression are experienced by every group of people, no matter how they identify, we know that people who identify as LGBT+ are more adversely impacted.

Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or transgender are 2-7 times more likely to try to kill themselves than their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts
Almost half of people who identify as transgender have tried to kill themselves.
Rates of depression, anxiety, and substance misuse have been found to be 1.5x higher in the LBGT community compared to the general population.

If you are experiencing any of this, know you are not alone. Gender and sexual identity minorities deal with social stigma, prejudice, and discrimination on a daily basis. In addition to experiencing stigma and prejudice in the community at large, LGBT+ people sometimes experience these same things from the very people one might normally turn to for support, like family members and your church. The stigma in society can make a person feel even more alone and rejection from loved ones may cause further isolation. Depression and anxiety are often exacerbated because often LGBT+ folks do not seek support.

Do you find yourself wanting to reach out for support, but are afraid you won’t find anyone who gets you? Seeking therapy in a heteronormative world can be a daunting task. Often, people hesitate seeking support, wondering “Will I be accepted for who I am? Will the therapist try to change me?” With me as your therapist you don’t need to worry about that.

I want my clients to know I support them and their families. Your values will drive our work together. I believe homosexuality, heterosexuality, asexuality, everything in between, and any gender identity are all equally authentic and beautiful ways of being.

I offer LBGT+ affirmative therapy which is effective at addressing a variety of challenges. Research shows LBGT+ affirmative therapy is effective at treating mental health diagnoses, like anxiety and depression, while acknowledging your unique experience. We can explore what’s going on right now that may be creating feelings of hopelessness, worry, fear, or overwhelm and we can do something about it. I employ a range of interventions with foundations in cognitive behavioral therapy and a focus on you as an individual.

People who have been in therapy with me before report not only feeling better, but also things like:

Increased connectedness and support in their lives outside the therapy room
Feelings of contentment around who they are
Increased clarity and confidence in how they want to handle the continual process of coming out
Insight around their own values
Commitment and freedom to living the life they want to live

Reach out today for your free 30-minute consultation with me. Take the first step toward living the life you truly want to live.

If you found this page because you love a person who is, or may be, LGBT+ and you want to support them, I can help with that too.

Contact Me