LGBTQ Therapy
Are You Struggling To Find The Support That You Desire?
Do you feel alone or isolated on your journey to self-discovery and acceptance? Does it feel like no one understands what you’re going through? Are you experiencing distress stemming from a lack of support and acceptance from your friends, family, and lawmakers?
Being a member of the LGBTQ community comes with a fair share of challenges. You likely just want to feel recognized and loved for who you are—regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity, especially by those that you consider close.
The sad reality is that many individuals who identify as LGBTQ don’t have the resources or support they need to feel like they can thrive, which in turn can cause relationships to dissolve and negative ideations to occur.
It can be challenging for you to learn to love and accept who you are if you’re not receiving the proper encouragement from your social forces and elected officials. With lawmakers constantly trying to take away the rights of the LGBTQ community, you may feel like everything you represent opens you up to judgment, rejection, and ridicule.
However, no matter how isolated you feel, it’s important to realize that you are not alone. In therapy at Winding Roads Counseling, we aim to give you the meaningful opportunity to openly and honestly express yourself so that you can learn self- acceptance, embrace who you are, and be empowered by your LGBTQ identity.
So Many People Are Searching For Love And Acceptance, Just Like You
You’ve probably lived most of your life without ever feeling fully seen for who you are. If you’ve been ridiculed by your friends, family, or society because of how you identify, it can be easy to feel like you’re all alone.
Even though you may not always see it, there are others just like you who are going through their own personal battles as well. In fact—when compared to heterosexual individuals—those who identify as LGBTQ are 2.5 times more likely to experience bouts of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.*
Most LGBTQ individuals will tell you that they’ve always known that they would be a part of this community. It is a part of who you are as a person—not a choice you make or a phase you’re going through.
So, odds are, you wouldn’t want to receive negative treatment based on something that cannot change. But because there are so many obstacles in the way of living your truth, you probably wear a mask and hide who you really are from society.
Therapy at Winding Roads Counseling gives you an opportunity to open up about your experience as a person or couple who identifies as gay, lesbian, transgender, or as any member in the LGBTQ population. Whether you’re an individual trying to decide if coming out to your friends and family is the best option or if you’re a same-sex couple trying to navigate the ups and downs of your relationship, we will work alongside you in counseling to help you no matter where you find yourself in your journey.
In fact—when compared to heterosexual individuals—those who identify as LGBTQ are 2.5 times more likely to experience bouts of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.*
* https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-LGBTQ.pdf
LGBTQ Therapy Can Inspire And Empower You To Live Your Truth
Overall, you probably want to achieve a level of sustained happiness, self-worth, and approval from your peers loved ones, and society in general. This is why therapy is so vital in the LGBTQ community—we can support you in finding confidence in yourself and figuring out how to live life on your terms.
We begin with an intake session to determine your short and long term goals for therapy. Our counselors will take the time to get to know you as an individual, seeing how far you’ve come on your journey in the LGBTQ community, as well as figuring out what you and those you care about need to get the most out of the therapeutic process moving forward.
Once you’re paired with one of our therapists, we will work alongside you to overcome the challenges that you face and help you grow in the process. Therapy sessions are catered to you and are entirely dependent on your feelings and experiences when it comes to your gender identity, sexual orientation, or standing as an individual in the LGBTQ community.
We use a wide range of approaches to address symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma (among other issues):
● Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) provides you with a mental health toolkit that enables you to challenge intrusive emotions and negative thoughts about yourself and help you create a more positive mindset.
● Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on cultivating mindfulness and developing skills to address the areas of your life that can be changed and promoting acceptance for the things that you can’t control.
● Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) helps you overcome trauma-related issues from your past (specifically adolescence) so that you can live life with newfound hope and self-acceptance.
● Brainspotting & Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) utilize eye movements and images to train your brain to properly heal by reprocessing painful experiences so that you can break free of the past and move forward.
Here at Winding Roads Counseling, we also provide therapy sessions for family members who are having a tough time adjusting to your life as an LGBTQ individual or couple. Our therapists will work with your friends and loved ones to identify and resolve any of their trepidations or biases. This way, they can learn how to accept, understand, and support you in ways that you have never imagined.
You May Be Interested In Therapy, But Still Have A Few Questions…
We are not here to dictate how your journey ends. That is ultimately up to you. But here at Winding Roads Counseling, we can assure you that our therapists will give you every opportunity to fully explore, discover, and grow within yourself to become the person that you were always meant to be.
Can you help relieve some of the conflict that I have with my family?
If you identify as a member of the LGBTQ community and find it hard to talk to your loved ones about your emotions and experiences, then our therapists at Winding Roads Counseling can help provide you with an outlet to discuss how you’re feeling. We will work together to figure out where the disconnect ultimately stems from while teaching you how to set boundaries and plan for different outcomes when it involves talking with your family members.
How can you possibly get me back to a place where I love myself unconditionally?
At Winding Roads Counseling, our therapists aim to meet you wherever you are on your journey. We will work with you so that you feel loved and accepted for who you are by providing you with the skills needed to boost your self-confidence and affirm yourself of your importance and worth.
Let Us Help You Feel The Support, Acceptance, And Love That You Deserve
If you or someone you love identifies as LGBTQ, our therapists at Winding Roads Counseling would love to provide you with the support you need to feel loved and accepted.
To learn more about therapy, you can also visit our contact page. Or to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation, call (317) 210–3737. We look forward to working with you!
