Healthy Sexuality and Relationships
Healthy sexual expression comes in many forms but sometimes problems with sex or sexuality come up leading clients to seek therapy. Worries about sexual issues can profoundly affect a person’s mood, thoughts, and wellbeing. Sometimes people fear others will think their sexual concerns are inappropriate and they may not wish to talk to their family and friends about these issues. Finding the right therapist can offer a person a safe place to share fears, memories, experiences, and desires, or to answer general sexual questions. An affirming therapist will help that person process their feelings and address emotional barriers in relationships. They may help the person come to terms with their feelings about sex, improve communication with a partner and enhance or restore a person’s sexual experiences.
Discussion may also help get to the root of distress or confusion about sexual feelings or behaviors. In talk therapy, a therapist may help someone explore gender or sexual orientation. People with a non-normative sexuality or gender sometimes feel alienated from society. This can cause anxiety, frustration, and shame. Family members worried about a loved one’s identity might try to seek therapy for them. They may do this to “fix” their loved one’s thoughts or behavior. But therapy that seeks to change a person’s orientation is not seen as healthy. Therapy for sexual orientation should help people accept their sexuality.
LBGTQ+ populations often experience different and “hidden” minority assumptions and challenges that non-LGBTQ+ members do not. LGBTQ+ Counseling can provide a safe space to identify yourself, your values, and other areas where confusion, fear, and loss may exist. When we work with you it will be from a safe and nonjudgmental stance which will cultivate an even safer space to open up and work on the many challenges that LGBTQ+ members of society face. Many members of this population may feel fear or angst when dealing with their self-identities, values, and challenges. However, opening up about what is causing you the most discomfort will make it possible to work on making you most comfortable. Often times individuals of the LGBTQ+ community enter treatment under high amounts of stress, confusion, frustration, anger, and merely want someone to listen. This is very common and helping find a path where you are most comfortable and safest in who you are and who you wish to be is entirely possible. It does not have to be a journey traveled alone.
