Therapy for the LGBTQ+ Community
You are my family, and you are welcome here. I want to serve you!
As a self-identified cisgender gay man, I am passionate about supporting and giving back to my community. In fact, this is one of the primary reasons I became a therapist! It can be difficult for LGBTQ people to find help that is queer and sex positive without having to worry about being labeled “sick”, a “weirdo”, or otherwise “unworthy”. It is aggravating to start work with a provider, and then find out that they lack even a basic understanding of LGBTQ+ life and the struggles therein. It is my mission to be part of the solution to this problem and be a safe, effective and accessible therapeutic resource for the community.
I believe that it is especially critical that all of us as members of this wonderful and dynamic community continue the work of finding our authentic selves and expressing that to the world without shame. Shame is toxic – it undermines our sense of well-being, our confidence and courage, and our ability to be and act powerfully in the world. Toxic shame can lead to anger, depression and anxiety, high risk behaviors and substance abuse. Toxic shame is a form of death. Empowered Freedom, our ability to love, embody and express our true selves shamelessly, is our birthright and our life force. Let us claim that birthright and live well!
Your own family may need therapy to better understand and support you. I can help with that too.
In the course of my professional work, as well as my own life, I know that family members can often go through a process of accepting and affirming their LGBTQ+ children, siblings, parents and grandparents. Often, the beginning of that process can feel like a “death” in the family. As the authentic identity of the LGBTQ+ person emerges, the family member grieves the loss of the person they thought they knew. For the health and well-being of both the LGBTQ+ person and the family member, it is critical that the grieving process be facilitated and supported, so that the family member may be able be at peace with and celebrate the true identity. Therapy can be an excellent way to accomplish this.
Examples of issues we can work on together:
Anxiety, stress and trauma, depression, grief and loss
Substance abuse/high risk behaviors
Coming out/internalized homophobia/transphobia
Family Dynamics/cultural identity/intersecting and conflicting cultural expectation
Sexuality, dating and intimacy
Communication skills and relationship counseling
Narcissistic abuse, codependency, maintaining healthy, appropriate boundaries
Managing change in the family system/life transitions