Have You Ever Felt Shamed For Your LGBTQ+ Identity?
Maybe you’re tired of being treated as though something is “wrong” with you, simply because you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community. Perhaps family members or friends ended relationships with you because of who you love or your gender identity. As a result, you might occasionally find yourself wishing that you could just “be like everyone else” so that you wouldn’t have to deal with negative judgments.
As part of the LGBTQ+ community, you may deal with anxiety, depression, trauma, and difficult life transitions. And these challenges are often compounded by societal prejudice. Or perhaps you’re grappling with chronic stress, mood fluctuations, relationship conflicts, social anxiety, or physical symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, and tension headaches.
On top of it all, you may live in an area where your rights have been restricted or have experienced harassment or abuse due to your identity. You wish you could cultivate compassion for your authentic self, but it’s hard to build up your self-worth and manage your mental health in an unequal world.
Being Part Of The LGBTQ+ Community Can Make You Feel Isolated
Maybe you have been disowned by your families and broader communities. This can be a profoundly isolating and traumatizing experience, leaving you without any real support system to turn to when you’re struggling.
But even if you are supported within your families and broader social circles, you can experience a sense of loneliness. You may feel out of place because you don’t have opportunities to connect with other members of the LGBTQ+ community. Or perhaps you struggle to figure out where you fit in when you’re not necessarily striving for the same milestones as your peers.
If your mental health is suffering, you can find the guidance you need from an inclusive and supportive LGBTQ+ therapist.
Have any questions? Send us a message!
Prejudice Can Contribute To Mental Health Struggles In The LGBTQ+ Community
In our modern, fast-paced society, people from all walks of life struggle with their mental health. The unending societal pressure for success, combined with urban isolation and the impacts of social media on self-esteem, all contribute to mental health challenges.
Because LGBTQ+ individuals face discrimination, they are more likely to develop mental health conditions like anxiety or depression compared to heterosexual or cisgender individuals. Furthermore, many LGBTQ+ people also deal with prejudice for other aspects of their identity, including race, religion, or socioeconomic class.
The LGBTQ+ Community Is Resilient, But Many Individuals Need Support
LGBTQ+ individuals might feel like they have to hide their relationships and live “double lives” so that their communities don’t abandon them. As a result, an LGBTQ+ couple may be unable to reach out for advice when they hit a relationship rough patch. Because they’ve been rejected by family members, some individuals struggle with housing insecurity and poverty; others are even subjected to violence.
Throughout history, queer people have existed in every culture. The LGBTQ+ community is undeniably resilient, but no one should have to handle these issues entirely on their own. However, an individual who is part of the LGBTQ+ community might hesitate to seek therapy because they worry that their counselor will question or criticize their identity, or that their confidentiality will not be respected.
Allowing yourself to be vulnerable can feel fraught if you’ve dealt with mistreatment on the basis of your identity. By connecting with a compassionate counselor who understands the unique concerns of those in the LGBTQ+ community, you can learn to advocate for yourself, foster healthier relationships, and overcome obstacles created by an inequitable society.
LGBTQ+ Therapy Can Help You Gain Confidence And Let Go Of Limiting Beliefs
At Repose, we offer LGBTQ+-affirmative, trauma-informed, and culturally competent psychotherapy. We are an inclusive practice, and our therapists recognize the struggles that our LGBTQ+ clients face as individuals. We also understand the underlying forms of systemic discrimination that can contribute to mental health issues amongst the LGBTQ+ community (such as homophobia and transphobia) and intersecting forms of oppression (like racism and sexism).
We have queer-identifying therapists on staff from diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. Our team fosters an atmosphere of inclusivity by providing trauma-informed, judgment-free, sex-positive therapy services to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. We believe that psychological safety is fundamental to the healing process, and you deserve to see yourself reflected in the therapeutic space.
What To Expect In LGBTQ+ Therapy Sessions
Your therapist will establish a comfortable environment where you can move through the healing process at your own pace. You can delve into the root causes of your distress, identify specific triggers that might bring up anxiety or reminders of past trauma, and map out personalized coping strategies.
We will tailor your sessions to help you integrate these new skills into your daily life and heighten your awareness of physical sensations that can serve as valuable information for the healing process. In therapy, your counselor can guide you in exploring your gender identity, coming out, or any other life challenges you may be grappling with.
Treatment Approaches For LGBTQ+ Counseling
By working with a supportive, LGBTQ+-affirming therapist who provides you with long-term strategies, you can reclaim your peace of mind, deepen your self-worth, and become a healthier, happier version of yourself. We integrate numerous treatment approaches to help you manage your mental health.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT can help you identify and change negative thought patterns that may be holding you back. You’ll be able to adopt more positive beliefs that orient you towards personal growth.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Through DBT, you can develop more flexible modes of thinking and let go of rigid patterns that could be keeping you stuck in situations that do not serve you. Through DBT, you can address black-and-white thinking and feel at ease within relationships.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR therapy can enable you to process past trauma that has been stored in your body. This modality can be a pathway to healing for those who do not want to discuss past trauma in datil.
Somatic Experiencing™
This approach allows you to tune into and release physical sensations associated with anxiety, depression, and trauma through movement. Somatic therapy can leave you feeling lighter, freeing you from tension you might be carrying.
Other Skills and Techniques
By applying emotional regulation strategies, you’ll be able to stay calm in stressful situations, express yourself diplomatically in disagreements, and confidently uphold your boundaries under pressure.
Mindfulness techniques like meditation and therapeutic yoga practices can be a powerful way to ground yourself in the present while supporting both your emotional and physical wellbeing.
Your therapist can work with you on effective communication skills, which you can apply outside of sessions to strengthen your relationships.
But You May Still Have Questions About LGBTQ+ Therapy…
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When you start counseling and open up to a therapist for the first time, it’s normal to feel more aware of your emotions. This is a vital part of the healing process, and you’re not alone. Your counselor will support you every step of the way, and in the long run, you’ll likely leave sessions feeling lighter. You’ll learn valuable skills that you can apply on your own to manage your symptoms in your daily life.
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The amount of time you’ll spend in therapy can depend on the specific issues you’re facing, your personal goals, and a range of other factors. We’ll regularly evaluate your progress together to ensure you’re seeing improvements in your quality of life, and we can adjust your treatment plan accordingly. Our goal is to help you thrive independently in the long run, without therapy.
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We understand that therapy represents a financial investment. That’s why we offer a range of payment options to make our services accessible, including working with several insurance providers. Additionally, you may be eligible for out-of-network reimbursement. We provide high-quality services that will equip you with coping skills you can rely on for years to come.
You Can Embrace Your Identity And Build A Fulfilling Life
With support from a counselor, you can connect with people who celebrate you for who you are and chart a new path forward. We encourage you to contact us to learn more about our LGBTQ+ therapy services.
At Repose, we provide in-person therapy at our beautiful and welcoming offices in NYC and Pleasantville, NY. Additionally, our therapists offer online LGBTQ+ counseling for clients in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
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Yes! We Accept Insurance!
Many of our therapists accept Aetna, Aetna Student, and Wellfleet Student health insurances. When using these in-network insurances, you will only be required to pay the cost of your copay at the time of service.
If you want to use other insurance providers with out-of-network benefits, you are required to pay the full fee at the time of service. When using out-of-network insurance only, we provide you with a monthly superbill (a receipt of the therapy services you paid for) with all of the necessary information for you to submit the claim to your insurance.