LGBTQIA Therapy in Davidson, North Carolina
LGBTQIA Therapy for Individuals
You generally love identifying as a part of the Queer community, but lately life is feeling HARD. You need some extra support from someone who gets it.
We might be a good fit for affirming LGBTQIA therapy if:
You know that you are Queer, but sometimes you wonder where exactly you fall in the LGBTQIA+ of it all.
You’ve been okay with not knowing, but it is beginning to bother you that you haven’t settled on a more “specific” label. All the labels feel overwhelming, but at the same time, you wonder if there might be an identity that would feel “just right” for you.
You have been identifying with a Queer sexual identity (lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc.), but lately you have been wondering about your gender, too.
You have been exploring some new ways of presenting and playing with masculinity and femininity in a new way. It feels good and you are beginning to wonder if there might be more there than you had realized. You don’t want to read too much into it, but at the same time, you can’t stop thinking about it.
You often feel isolated or unaccepted in your LGBTQ+ identity.
You don’t have much Queer community and your close friends and family just don’t get it. You feel alone and misunderstood, sometimes even scared. You take in as much Queer media as you can, but the internet somehow leaves you feeling even more alone. You long to feel seen, loved and supported as your authentic Queer self.
You have faced a lot of hardship in your Queer life so far.
You hear the word “trauma” used a lot and you wonder if it might apply to you. As time passes, you realize more and more how hard some of your past experiences really were and you sometimes feel like they are haunting you or holding you back in your current relationships. You know you need to process some of the things that happened but even thinking about it feels so scary, maybe even impossible.
You are Queer in a straight-presenting relationship.
You love your partner and you are committed to your relationship, but sometimes you feel like you aren’t able to fully embrace and express your Queer identity. You don’t want to hurt your partner’s feelings, but you wonder what it would be like to explore your Queerness.
You are looking for Queer-celebratory mental health support for other issues.
You might not necessarily need counseling about being Queer, but you are looking for a welcoming space to work through your anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, or relationship struggles. Your Queerness is a fundamental part of who you are and you can’t imagine working with someone who doesn’t share a Queer identity.
Therapy for Individuals Questioning Gender and/or Sexuality
Lately, you have been wondering about your gender and/or sexuality. You thought you knew yourself, but you realize that you have been pushing these thoughts and feelings down for a while. You feel scared and overwhelmed and you need support from someone who has been there.
Coming out sounds terrifying, but living with this secret is starting to feel even worse.
I love helping clients navigate the life-long process of coming out and the joys and challenges of living as a Queer individual in the world.
If you have been questioning your gender and/or sexuality, some of the following experiences might sound familiar to you:
You feel preoccupied with questions about gender, sexuality and relationships
You often find that you struggle to feel like yourself, particularly when you are wearing certain clothes or looking at your own body
You sometimes find yourself fantasizing about same-gendered people, but you try to push these thoughts away
You sometimes find yourself fantasizing about living in a body with different parts, but you try to push these thoughts away
You often google “am I gay,” “am I trans,” “what is my gender,” etc. You have taken every online quiz about gender and sexuality, but you’re still not sure
You often have extreme or emotional reactions to LGBTQ+ stories (either positive or negative)
You feel like you have been avoiding asking yourself questions about gender or sexuality because you are afraid of what you might find out
If you are LGBTQ+ identifying and you are thinking about coming out, you might be feeling:
Scared and unsure about what or how you will tell people
Afraid of how people will react
Ashamed about “taking too long” to come out or “keeping a secret”
Worried about people finding out before you are ready to tell them
Scared about how this might change your relationships with friends, family, colleagues and/or partners
Afraid of having your identity politicized, judged or policed
Scared for your safety and wellbeing
Afraid of making big changes, even if you believe they will be positive
Concerned that it is “too late” for you to come out
How can affirming LGBTQIA therapy help?
I create a safe space for my clients to reflect, explore, and ask all the questions that have been keeping them up at night
We will move at your speed and follow your lead. You are on your own timeline and I am here to support you through that
In therapy, we will practice talking about the things that can be scary and uncomfortable to put into words
You will have a space to face and process your deepest fears and worries, knowing that you will be fully seen and heard without judgement
Counseling for Allies
You may not identify as LGBTQ+, but supporting your Queer friends and family members is a huge part of your life. You are looking for a therapist who understands the importance of affirming your loved ones.
You might be a good fit for affirming LGBTQIA therapy for allies if:
You have a close family member or friend who recently came out to you.
You love this person so much, but you are feeling lost in how to support them right now. You know they need you to be there for them and to understand what they’re going through, but honestly, you don’t know much about this.
You are in a mixed-orientation relationship with a Queer partner.
You love your partner and you want to fully embrace and support the person that they are, but sometimes you don’t quite know what to do with their Queerness. You feel out of your depth. You know that you are a good partner but at the same time, you worry that you might be holding them back. Sometimes, they want to explore their gender and/or sexuality in ways that you aren’t sure you feel comfortable with and you worry about what that means.
You feel dissatisfied with your relationships and you sometimes wish you were gay because it honestly sounds better.
You know that Queerness comes with its own set of struggles, but sometimes it just feels like it would be easier to date someone of the same gender. You don’t think you’re interested in that but you keep finding yourself in relationships with people that make you feel bad about yourself. You don’t know what’s missing from your current love life but you know you need some help making a change.
You are looking for support from someone who aligns with your values.
You have been struggling lately with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma or relationship issues. You are ready to take the next step with therapy and you feel strongly about working with someone who aligns with your values and will understand the importance of issues related to social justice.