Serving California Residents with HIPAA-secure Video Therapy
Mailing address: 3123 W. Ave. L 8, Lancaster, CA 93536
Phone: 661-233-6771
LGBTQ+ Therapy for Adults, Teens & Couples
Do you feel disconnected from other people when you need it the most? Are the people on whom you’re supposed to rely pushing you away because of your gender identity or sexual preference? Is making you feel isolated, depressed, anxious, or generally stressed and uneasy?
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We all face difficult things in life, like losing someone we love or having a difficult transition in our lives that challenges our adjustment. Many of us also had less than wonderful childhoods, with family members who were absent or who mistreated us. This fills our stress buckets prematurely and makes it harder to deal with challenges that come up in the present, like work or school problems.
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All this can be hard enough when we have family and friends to support these hard times. However, if people in our families, schools, workplaces or communities reject us or allow bad things to happen to us because we are different from them, it makes it even more challenging. The differences add to the stress we already feel, and can come in the form of:
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Rejection (of you and/or your romantic partner)
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bullying
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discrimination
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harassment
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microaggressions (like dead-naming and misgendering)
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having to hide in the closet
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macro-level oppression (anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and structural discrimination) … and so much more.
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When you face additional life stress due to stigma or discrimination, this is referred to as minority stress. This can increase your risk of developing mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, suicidality, and even physical problems.
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If you are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous American, or a Person of Color), this makes it even more difficult. This seems to intensify discrimination based on gender identification, sexual preference, plus racism and classism. Additionally, you might face poverty, barriers to getting good healthcare, and social exclusion. Racial trauma might also bear upon your mental health, making it harder to feel hopeful about making changes in your personal life or in the structural oppression that negatively impacts you.
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The physical and psychological dangers you face are very real, and responding in a stressful way is understandable and even necessary for your survival. However, if you feel like you’re not totally alone, you may be able to have a break from the stress so you can heal.
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You might develop PTSD, depression, anxiety, or prolonged grief, and need help feeling like your usual fantastic self. You need a therapist who has experience, empathy and training in helping you navigate life's stress.
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​I started as a therapist in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I have worked with many people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning. I have also worked with people in non-traditional relationships in the kink, BDSM, and polyamorous communities.
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Exposure, compassion, and experience helped me become an LGBT+ friendly therapist. There was less discrimination in the SF Bay Area, yet I know that there is still discrimination everywhere. It hurts my heart to see how it impacts LGBTQ+ adolescents and adults. I have been working with LGBTQ+ individuals for years, and I love serving this community.
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I live in the Antelope Valley, where many young people struggle to be accepted by their families, friends, and community. Rejection often results in grief from lost relationships with loved ones and alienation from your family and community. Bullying, microaggressions, and harassment often lead to traumatic stress as well.
If you identify as LGBTQ+, this is a safe space for you to deal with your grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. I am sex-positive and I welcome people who are polyamorous or involved in relationships that involve BDSM. I feel honored to be a refuge for you, if you’ve been rejected or mistreated by those who claim to love and support you. I understand what it’s like to be marginalized and cast aside, denied opportunities that other people take for granted, and have extra hurdles that others may not see or acknowledge. I want to help you love yourself and others regardless of what anyone else says or does.
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​I am not queer-identified. However, I am an affirming ally who can help you cope with issues like family rejection, homophobia, transphobia, identity issues, bullying, nontraditional families, harassment, and interpersonal violence.
I recognize that there is trauma in losing people close to you because of homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry. Despite my not being LGBTQ+ identified, LGBTQ+ clients have told me that they appreciate how open and frank they can be with me about personal aspects of their lives. I am open to feedback and work with social justice in mind.
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When you feel free to express yourself, you can heal faster. You are not so invested in having to hide or defend yourself from stigma. Each one of us deserves the right to love ourselves unconditionally and enjoy life. I look forward to helping you to achieve that.
​ Your being LGBTQ+ isn't unhealthy. Our societal response to it is unhealthy. This negative response is based on fear and ignorance, which breeds hatred and oppression. In the past five years there was an unbelievable surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation. Coping with that level of institutionalized discrimination has its own level of stress. It’s hard, when there’s that much hatred and fear circulating in our society, to feel safe and comfortable with who we are. We’re social beings and we base our self-concept on what others think of us, as well as what we know about ourselves.
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Nonetheless, your being LGBTQ+ identified isn’t bad, wrong, or aberrant. What's wrong is being treated poorly because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. This can create isolation and withdrawal from others, which can negatively impact your mental and physical wellness.
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Despite this struggle, I know that you can emerge from it being healthy, strong, and resilient. I want to help you define your own identity and claim the strengths that have always been there.
Let no one diminish you; you are loveable just as you are!​
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If you need a therapist who is LGBTQ-affirming, compassionate and experienced, please call or click on the box below.
