LGBTQIA+ Therapy
LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy
We’re often asked, “So, what do you mean by LGBTQIA-affirming therapy?”
At first glance, therapy for someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ is exactly the same as for someone who does not. We are all susceptible to the same anxiety, heartbreak, depression, family dysfunction, and other emotional and mental health concerns that are sometimes a difficult part of being human. Our sexual and gender identities are just two of the many lenses through which we experience life – but they still mean so much.
They shape our understanding of ourselves and the world through which we move. And while not the only part of our identity, it is an important facet – one that your counselor must fully understand to be most effective in supporting you.
Sanctuary Counseling goes beyond promises of acceptance to provide expert, experienced, and affirming therapy services to the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s not just something we are prepared to do once in a while, it is an intentional and dedicated part of our practice and our professional community. We are proud to note that at any time our LGBTQIA+ community comprises about a third of our clients. We look forward to welcoming you, affirming you, and supporting you on your journey to be your whole and best self.
Is Therapy for the LGBTQIA+ Community Helpful?
How does one’s community impact mental health? If you’re in a marginalized group, it might be even more than you think. The reality is that our community is still fighting for acceptance, and when you live in a world where there are people who do not understand or accept you, it can be hard to feel like you are safe and that you belong. This can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness – and even more serious issues like depression, anxiety, suicidality, or substance abuse.
We know firsthand how therapy can help address the specific challenges faced as an LGBTQIA+ person. Therapy can help you process your experiences both past and present, and find ways to cope with the stress from living in a heteronormative, binary society. It is so important to be able to talk about these issues with someone who understands them well and can offer real help and support.
“Love is never wrong.”
– Melissa Etheridge
The Most Effective Support for Gender & Sexual Diversity
Therapy can help you figure out how to deal with all of these feelings and experiences. It also gives you an opportunity to learn how to manage stressors in your life so that they don’t become overwhelming. Using a combination of evidence-based techniques and therapy styles including Humanistic, Existential, Narrative, Feminist, Intersectional, Dialectical Behavioral, Cognitive Behavioral, and others, we can find lasting change in our lives and our relationships. Perhaps most importantly, therapy helps us discover and embrace our authentic selves.
Finding a Therapist for LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy
If you’re in the Douglassville or Audubon areas of Pennsylvania, we have two locations that can serve as your therapeutic home. Gender and Sexual Diversity (LGBTQIA) counseling is about feeling safe and comfortable with your therapist. At Sanctuary Counseling, we provide a warm, inviting place that allows you to relax. We want you to feel at home, just as we do. Even when we use telesessions, our therapists work to create a bond between us that makes you feel safe. We want you to feel that Sanctuary is your therapeutic home.
We recognize that there are few expert counseling resources for our community in the Berks and Montgomery County areas. We also know that throughout Pennsylvania and the nation, access to these resources can be a struggle. Sanctuary fiercely advocates for the mental health and safety needs of diverse and marginalized communities and has found that telesessions are a powerful and safe way for those in less-resourced areas to get the support they need and deserve.
Our identities are a source of our strength, and they can also be a reason we feel unaccepted. Please take the first step in your journey to contact us, we cannot wait to welcome you home.
You are welcome here.
