Supporting LGBTQ+: Gender and Sexuality
Inclusive and affirming Counselling
A person’s identity is integral to their experience of therapy. Therefore, it is critical that you feel supported and affirmed by a psychologist who has the skills to contextualise your experience within the unique set of circumstances LGBTQIA+ individuals navigate on a daily basis.
People within the LGBTQIA+ community come to therapy for many of the same reasons as heterosexual or cisgender people do. However, LGBTQIA+ individuals are disproportionately affected by mental health issues due to the social stigma and systemic challenges of living as a minority.
Whether you are struggling with discrimination and oppression, gender-questioning, coming out to your family, workplace or community, articulating your authentic sense of self in the face of social pressures and expectations, navigating LGBTQIA-specific relationship issues, family or religious concerns, elements of power, control and agency or LGBTQIA+ oriented reasons for trauma, isolation or loneliness:
I am here to support and affirm you.
Key Issues
Some of the issues for which I provide support:
The stages of coming out
Internalised homophobia, biphobia and transphobia
Gender-questioning and the transitioning process
WPATH assessments for adult clients wishing to medically affirm their gender
Relationship issues (including emotional abuse)
Body image issues
Bullying in the workplace, discrimination or outright abuse
Toxic relationships or controlling family dynamics
Difficulty with sexuality and sex
Suicide and self-harm
You take the lead: How therapy can HElp
We can explore how you do/don’t identify and how societal/cultural factors impact your self-expression
We can explore any desires to change how you identify
We can address family, romantic, social or religious conflicts that are interconnected with your identity
We can pursue therapy about seemingly ‘mundane’ issues, such as uni, work, relationships, sex- exploring how these areas intersect with identity. We can also explore your mental health experience without touching upon how you identify. The important point is, I take your lead.
We will work together within an intersectional, trauma-informed framework
We can work from an understanding that I know your community, so you don’t have to spend your time educating your psychologist!