Addressing the Needs of LGBTQIA+ Clients
Therapy in Atlanta for the LGBTQIA+ Community
As an out gay man, I understand the complexity of the personal and social factors that influence, add stress, or set the agenda for growth in your LGBTQIA+ life and relationship. I promote awareness about issues personal to LGBQ people and can meet you where you are on your personal journey. I also do work with the transgender and gender expansive community to break down barriers to health and well-being. Parents, family, and friends of the LGBTQIA+ community are an important part of the support network. Individual, partner, or same sex marriage counseling is a safe way to grow, heal and work on relationships, coming out, your family, same sex marriage issues, fertility treatments, child adoption, pregnancy, motherhood / fatherhood, gay and lesbian parenting, divorce, discrimination, LGBTQIA+ rights, immigration, fitting in, grief, loss and multicultural or cross-cultural issues.
Another area of focus is my work with the kink community and polyamorous individuals and relationships. As a sex-positive therapist, I have tremendous respect for the poly community, particularly about the sophisticated and careful consideration of boundaries and agreements that can make poly relationships flourish. I invite poly clients and relationships to consider my practice for your therapy needs.
Coming Out
Discovering your sexual orientation or gender identity can be a confusing or sometimes terrifying experience. Some people find that they experience significant social anxiety, depression, or even suicidal thoughts. You are not alone! A therapist like me can help guide you safely through your coming out process and be an encouraging voice in your life.
Counseling for Trans and Gender Expansive Clients
Whether you identify as transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming, gender fluid, gender queer, or are questioning your gender identity, I am ready to provide you support. As a trans & gender expansive friendly therapist I am committed to being sensitive to your mental health concerns. I'm ready to help you embrace yourself and work on becoming your best version of yourself. Maybe all you need is a safe and respectful environment to talk about issues unrelated to gender identity. Let me help you reach your goals. I regularly work with clients who are seeking documentation for medical transition, and can provide support around transition-related legal issues as well.
LGBTQIA+ Relationships and Parenting
Having an open dialogue between you and your partner is essential to having a healthy and respectful gay or lesbian relationship. However, there may be times where situations affect the compassion and love or makes you overwhelmed, hurt, or afraid. Working with a therapist may ease the pain or provide support so you can be more at ease and learn tools to avoid conflicts. That is why, as a therapist in the LGBTQIA+ community, I have established a safe environment for my clients.
Many different family constellations exist, where children are raised in blended, divorced, single or two parent households and relationships. Having a child and building a family may be a dream come true, a miracle, or something you wanted your whole life. Deciding on starting a family may depend on money, time, and scheduling. It may also be a time of stress, a pregnant partner, mourning, assisted conception, fertility doctors, IUI, IVF, surrogacy agencies, complicated expectations and pending adoption for gay dads and lesbian moms. Your friends and family may not understand about the realities of LGBTQIA+ parenting. I understand the importance, patience, and compromise affecting your daily life when going through the process of planning for the future and having a child. Let me help you prepare for and manage parenthood.
Stress in our Political Climate
The is a lot of uncertainty these days regarding new "religious protection" laws which enshrine discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This ongoing negative and sometimes violent attention directed toward gender and sexual minorities can lead to what we now recognize as a unique type of stress – chronic minority stress. The concept of minority stress comes from the idea that it's just plain hard being a gender or sexual minority in a heterocentric and cissexist culture. Because many LGBTQIA+ people are reminded often about how different they are from heterosexual and cisgender expectations, an individual can become particularly vulnerable to the effects of stress – especially if the individual is forced to discover his or her identity alone. People who experience this particular type of stress face many of the same symptoms that victims of hate crimes experience including:
Problems with sleep
Irritability and Anger
Mild paranoia
Feeling emotionally distant from others
Depression
Nightmares
Lack of appetite