LGBTQIA+ counseling is a type of queer affirmative counseling dedicated to assisting individuals and couples in navigating the intricate intersections of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental health, with a primary goal of fostering well-being, self-acceptance, and affirming a client’s life experiences as a queer individual. Although not all LGBTQ+ individuals seek specialized counseling, a substantial number discover vital support and empathy within these inclusive and affirming therapeutic settings.
Thriveworks LGBTQ+ counseling in Amherst, MA typically begins with an initial assessment to understand your specific needs. LGBTQ+ counselors aim to create a safe, inclusive, and affirming environment for anyone within the LGBTQ+ community by encouraging self-acceptance and offering an understanding of your identity and experiences. LGBTQ+ therapy addresses issues like coming out, discrimination, mental health challenges, and gender transition, and provides support for LGBTQ+ relationships.
LGBTQ+ counseling is incredibly important because it can help queer individuals accept their identity, learn self-love, and give them important tools for facing the challenges of being a queer person in today’s society, among many other benefits. LGBTQ+-affirming therapists can understand the unique perspective and experiences of queer individuals as they help them process past trauma, address family conflicts, treat issues with anxiety, and more.
LGBTQ+ Therapy in Amherst, MA—Help for LGBTQ+ Issues
If you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and are feeling alone, distressed, or trapped, Thriveworks Amherst is here to help you through this dark spot and into the life you deserve to have. We can’t make decisions for you or fight your battles, but our Thriveworks Amherst therapists and counselors will be your biggest supporters and guide you through this stage of your life.
With the weight of internal questions and social expectations and norms, it can be hard to know where you’re going, much less take steps to get there. Thriveworks Amherst has the tools and knowledge to help you work through the questions and pain and build the foundation for a great future. If you are tired of going it alone and want support in building your future, please give Thriveworks Amherst a call at (413) 634-4805.
What Topics Does LBGTQ+ Therapy Address?
People come to counseling for a never-ending list of questions, pains, and issues. And counseling for LGBTQ+ issues at Thriveworks Amherst is open to all of them. It’s a tragic fact that proportionally, LGBTQ+ persons will struggle with more depression, anxiety, and drug use than heterosexuals. The society we live in can often force hurt and fear onto these members. If you have been there, know that you aren’t alone. Thriveworks Amherst has seen people through some of the hardest times in their life, and although it seems impossible right now, you do have the strength to walk out of it.
A few of the common topics brought up in LGBTQ+ counseling at Thriveworks Amherst include:
- Social anxiety
- Self-harm
- Depression
- Past abuse
- Eating disorders
- Family concerns
- Self esteem
- Issues in School or work
Thriveworks Amherst is looking forward to meeting you so we can start planning our way towards the life you’re excited about.
What Does LGBTQ+ Therapy Look Like?
At Thriveworks Amherst, our counselors will help you to both survive and thrive. We will walk with you through any previous pain you’ve experienced and help you build the life you’re excited to wake up to every day.
In a counseling session, we might bring up:
- What your passions and goals are
- What your strengths are and how to use them
- How to find and harness your confidence
- Defining your goals and working on a plan to accomplish them
- Coming-out to friends and family
- Overcoming social barriers as you pursue your career (anything from opening up your own business to moving up in the corporate ladder)
- Transitioning to a new home or phase of life (like going to college)
- And of course, working through the previously mentioned hardships that can come from the hardships of living.
There’s a quote that sums up LGBTQ+ therapy nicely: “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”
Schedule LGBTQ+ Therapy at Thriveworks Amherst
Counseling is first and foremost the nurturing of the human soul. Sometimes, that might mean recovering from a trauma or working through depression. Other times, that means learning how to talk to your parents about your gender and sexuality or how to start a business as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Whatever you are facing, Thriveworks Amherst’s LGBTQ+ therapy looks forward to overcoming it with you. Please call us today at (413) 634-4805 so we can start the journey with you.