The need for affirming mental health services

Now, more than ever, there is a need for affirming mental health services run by people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. One in four teens who come out are forced to leave their homes, 68 percent of teens experience family rejection after coming out, and LGBTQ+ youth experience homelessness at a rate 120 percent more frequently than their non-LGBTQ+ peers according to True Colors United. In addition, Lambda Legal reports that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth in the US are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
 
When you choose a therapist, make sure you ask the right questions. For example, what lived experience do they have of the LGBTQ+ community? What are their personal views of sexuality and gender? Most therapists will offer a free initial telephone call, so this is the opportunity to assess their appropriateness.
 
There are too many therapists who claim to be affirming and end up inflicting more damage by pathologizing their clients or failing to understand what it is like to live in a marginalized group. In some cases, ‘counseling’ or ‘psychotherapy’ turns out to be conversion therapy (which is illegal and unethical).
 
Therapists who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community often fail to understand that coming out can be traumatic, especially when the experience involves the loss of support from family, friends, and a religious community. As Alessi and Martin point out in “Intersection of Trauma and Identity,” such a loss shatters three assumptions about the world, namely the “benevolence of the world, meaningfulness of the world, and a sense of self-worth.”
 
Given the high rate of trauma amongst the LGBTQ+ community, it is worth remembering some of the symptoms of trauma:

• Hypervigilance (this means that you are constantly on alert, waiting for danger)
• Flashbacks
• Avoidance
• A distorted sense of blame
• A diminished interest in activities
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating
• Self-destructive behavior
• A sense of powerlessness
• Hopelessness

 
If you think that you struggling as a result of trauma, reach out so we can discuss your needs. You can also book a free call. As a queer trauma therapist, I am ready, willing, and able to help you.     
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Psychotherapist in Ridgewood, New Jersey
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