LGBTQ Issues

Not only am I a member of the community, I have served members of LGBT+ community in most every environment I have worked. I have acted as the LGBT Special Emphasis Program Manager at a federal government agency. I have sat on Indiana University's Transgender ECHO program as a hub member where other professionals and community members attend to grow their knowledge about this special population. I started a Mental Health and Substance Use Program at the largest HIV/AIDS organization in IN.

LGBTQ individuals seek counseling for many reasons that may or may not be related to your sexuality or your gender identity. It is important that you have a therapist who you can discuss any area of your life without taking time to explain being LGBTQ. As a member of the LGBTQ community I have both the professional and personal expertise and experience to help you address the concerns you bring to counseling.

I love working with couples, young adults and LGBTQ+ folks focusing in areas of • Life and vocational direction • Relational difficulties • Fertility struggles (including infertility) • Anxiety and Stress (workplace, relational, etc) • Disordered eating tendencies • Diagnosed eating disorders • Trauma (acute and chronic) • Abuse (emotional, physical, sexual, spiritual) • Depression • Grief and Loss • General longing for a sense of belonging and love

The LGBTQ community is at a higher risk for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The issues we face are unique and challenging adding to the stress of every day life. It is often more difficult to find the social and emotional support we need. You no longer have to struggle alone as there are those of us here to help.

As part of the LGBTQ community our issues are near and dear to my heart! I love working with "family." Minority stress is real! Many of us have suffered trauma of one kind or another. I believe the "work" that we do to figure out who we are (and how to survive an environment that is often hostile) contributes to our resilience.I interned at Affirmations LGBT Community Center, where I learned a great deal about the issues we face as a community and how to overcome them.

I have extensive training in and personal experience with LGBTQ issues. I have provided cultural competency training to a handful of service organizations and agencies over the years. Currently, I leading a group advocating for LGBTQ resources in rural NE Colorado.

Hey queers! I see you!

My work with LGBTQ issues has been both personal, and professional. It is my belief that all therapists should be affirming and LGBTQ+ literate. Due to this belief, I chose to work with an organization that had established itself as being an affirming space for area families and individuals during graduate school. During this time I worked with transgender and non-binary folx, clients in polyamorous relationships and pansexual clients (and their families or partners when requested).

A majority of my clients are a part of the LGBT community. I work with my clients to sort out any questions they have about who they are and how that identity interacts with their other values and their environment. This may include concerns with religion, family, etc. I have worked with several individuals pre, during and post transition. It is important to me to help you create a healthy support system around your most authentic self and have the resources and skills for everything else.

I approach my work with LGBTQ+ folx with the understanding that these identities may have wide-ranging influences on one's presenting symptoms from being the focal point of what is going on to having very little impact. I work to explore LGBTQ+ issues and identites with folx from an ecological perspective, where we consider how these identities are impacted by and manifest at varying levels within ourselves, relationships, community, and wider culture.

"Life doesn’t exist in the binary, and I’m happily moving around in the middle. But I feel alone. I am missing a community that sees me and experiences life like me. I am tired of being misgendered and constantly having to explain myself. I want to exist, be seen, and be valued." In therapy there is no pressure or expectation for you to be anyone except who you are. The therapy process reflects who you are and where you are in your growth process.

I approach my work with LGBTQ+ folx with the understanding that these identities may have wide-ranging influences on one's presenting symptoms from being the focal point of what is going on to having very little or no impact. I work to explore LGBTQ+ issues and identites with folx from an ecological perspective, where we consider how these identities are impacted by and manifest at varying levels within ourselves, relationships, community, and wider culture.

As a queer therapist who has studied and been immersed in queer community and resources, I take a non judgmental approach to being with all of the intersecting issues our community faces. This includes issues around gender, sex work, racism, classism, misogyny, ableism, fatphobia, etc.

Since 2013, I have practiced psychotherapy supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Mostly, guiding Gay Men through life transitions, healing trauma, and accepting themself. I help Gay Men who want to feel liberated to be authentic but feel an inner battle to live their truth with themself, in relationships, and in society. I help Gay Men who are struggling with their sexual orientation, living in/out of the closet, living with HIV, relationship conflict, and much more. Let’s Talk, to learn more.

I am LGBTQIA+ affirming, and attend regular continuing education trainings, and have a caseload that is majority LGBTQIA+. I see adolescents and adults who are trans as well, accompanying them on the path to gender affirming medical care. I support family members as well.

I work with you to understand and develop a positive identity around gender or sexuality in a world that doesn't always accept you. I’m well versed in the social challenges, complex identity questions, and marginalization that can accompany queer lived experiences. I can help you work through questions around gender and sexuality, find ways to navigate interpersonal relationships with people who struggle to understand your identity, and build self-worth in the face of oppression.

I have worked with diverse identities and backgrounds in the LGBTQ community. Many of my clients work on identity exploration and the complexity of expressing one's true self. Some issues that stand out in particular are dating in the LGBTQ community, dealing with conflicting family values and expectations, the intersection of LGBTQ identities and mental health, and the stigma and nuance of polyamory. I work frequently with trans clients processing transition as well as the HRT process.

As a LatinX, gay, nonbinary individual, I have firsthand experience living in the intersectionality of culture, gender, race and sexual orientation. I understand how every individual has his, her or their own life experience and I fully respect each client's unique perspective. I engage in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and gender- and sexuality-affirming care and therapy to help my clients explore the totality of their identities.

It has been my goal to provide a welcoming, non-judgmental holding space for clients who identify within the LGBTQIA+ community. I think an important aspect of that is the acknowledgment that I will never "know everything or be fully trained" so I always approach each client as in individual and with respectful curiosity.