According to the National LGBTQ Task Force, 56% of LGBTQ people have experienced discrimination when seeking health or wellness services. On a very basic level, if an LGBTQIA+ person doesn’t feel “safe” revealing their full and truest self to a therapist because they worry that person may judge them in some way, the benefits of therapy will be lost. If a clinician also identifies as LGBTQ, right away they know they are in a safe place. LGBTQ Therapy Space helps you find that safe space immediately.
There are a lot of services out there offering different types of treatment in the mental health space, and we welcome it, but when it comes to gay, trans, non-binary, bisexual, or any other identity in the LGBTQIA+ space, it’s even more important that the services offered speak directly and authentically to the community.
That’s why we are very proud to announce that we are officially designated as a “Certified LGBT Business Enterprise” by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). This means, that through a detailed and comprehensive vetting process, it has been determined that we are truly an LGBTQ owned and operated company. Our feeling is that authenticity comes from the top down. Because we are owned and operated by someone who is part of the community, Jake Myers LMFT, it’s one step closer towards ensuring that this authenticity trickles down to our clinicians and our services. It’s very important that we don’t just become yet another “LGBTQ Friendly” or “allied” service, because for LGBTQ people to heal, we need to go deeper. We need to be authentically seen and understood in order to release shame, learn to love ourselves, and work through feelings and blocks we may have put up preventing us from full, happy lives. That’s why at LGBTQ Therapy Space, we are proud to say we are ‘for the community, by the community.” Thanks to the NGLCC for certifying our ability to do this!
Queer people may face an intense experience in coming out, or we may have self-esteem / self-worth deficiencies caused by internalizing incorrect messages in society that we are “less than” or not good enough. It’s so important to work through those with someone who has been on the same journey, and come out victorious on the other side. However, even if we are already fully out and proud, the experience of fitting into the LGBTQ community can have its own complications. It’s hard to know where you fit in, what sub-groups you fit into, what your preferences are, and how to feel connected and accepted within the community.
Relationships also have unique challenges to being LGBTQ, that only another LGBTQ therapist will truly understand on a deep level. An experience in therapy with a clinician that authentically understands can allow a client to be fully seen and mirrored, which is required for a healthy sense of self. This is often an important foundation, before then working through problems and finding solutions.
We encourage you to check out our list of therapists, to see who might understand you the best. We are diligently working to make sure that every member of the LGBTQ community will find someone on our site they can connect to.
