LGBTQ Friendly Therapy for Children, Teens, and Adults
Navigating a predominantly heterosexual and cisgender world can be challenging and painful, but we are here for you! We want to help you become the best, most authentic YOU possible. Even if your concerns aren't specifically related to your sexuality or gender identity, you still want to feel safe with the counselor you choose.
Etheridge Psychology is a mental health clinic that provides compassionate and evidence-based counseling services. We understand that seeking help can be a difficult step, and that's why we strive to create a warm and welcoming environment for all of our clients. Whether you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or something else, you will be treated with dignity and acceptance here.
Our practice is dedicated to providing LGBTQ+ friendly counseling services, ensuring that our clients feel safe and supported regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Our team of licensed therapists and psychologists has extensive experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals, and we tailor our treatment plans to meet the unique needs of each client. We offer individual therapy for children, adolescents, and adults with the goal of promoting mental wellness and improving your quality of life. We also offer LGBTQ couples counseling! If you're looking for a mental health clinic that provides LGBTQ+ friendly therapy services, give us a call.
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Maybe you aren't a member of the LGBTQ community, but you have a loved one who is. Whether you're struggling with recently hearing the news about your loved one's identity or just wanting to be a better source of support, we can help you resolve any inner discomfort and be the best support possible for your loved one.
While all of our psychologists and counselors are gender affirming and LGBTQ+ friendly, two of our clinicians are LGBTQ+ Specialists:
Mary Evers, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
LGBTQ Youth Counseling
Child Psychologist
Pediatric Psychologist
Children, Teens, Young Adults
Jo McBride, MSW, LCSW-A
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate
LGBTQ Counseling for Adults
LGBTQ Couples Counseling
Some concerns that are great to discuss with an LGBTQ+ friendly therapist include:
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Coming out: if, when, why, how, and to whom
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Healing from and handling non-acceptance
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Trauma, abuse, and discrimination
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Exploring gender identity
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Exploring sexual orientation
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Family relationships
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Couples counseling and marriage counseling
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Decisions about transitioning
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Self-esteem
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Depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm
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Anxiety
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Setting healthy boundaries
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Navigating friendships
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Spirituality and religion concerns
As LGBTQ Affirming Counselors, We Understand:
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Healthy sexuality and gender identity come in many forms, and you can feel safe discussing those important parts of yourself with us.
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Bigotry, hate, discrimination, bullying, and prejudice still abound in today's world - at home, at school, at work, and everywhere else.
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The higher rate of certain mental disorders in the LGBTQ+ population has more to do with the world around you, not you.
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Family relationships can be hard, even when your family says they "accept" you.
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Healthy families come in all shapes and sizes, and LGBT parents face special challenges.
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Not all the people you consider to be "family" may be biologically related to you.
Committed to Gender Affirming and LBGTQ Positive Therapy and Mental Health Care
We acknowledge that psychology and psychiatry have not always been safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people.
Fortunately, people change, and by 1975, the American Psychological Association adopted a resolution stating that "homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities." The APA urged "all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with homosexual orientations" (Conger, 1975, p. 633, in APA 2012). Later, the APA wrote, "same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality regardless of sexual orientation identity" (APA, 2009a, p. 121, in APA 2012).
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We've come a long way since then. We know that neither your sexual orientation nor your gender identity is a mental illness. We do not promote or perform "conversion" therapy. The mental health community has adopted an active role in gender-affirming care and transitioning as treatments for gender dysphoria, and the clinicians of Etheridge Psychology are committed to affirmative care.
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Source:
American Psychological Association (2012). Guidelines for psychological practice with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. The American psychologist, 67(1), 10–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024659