LQBTQIA Therapy
Whether you are exploring your sexuality and/or gender identity or already identify as part of the queer and/or transgender community, having a therapist who has a deep knowledge and awareness of some of the difficulties that LGBTQ folks face is important. Comprehension of the social stigmas, discrimination, and family difficulty that people of the LGBTQIA community may endure is helpful to provide an experience of understanding in the therapeutic space.
I practice affirmative therapy, which is validating and supportive to identities expressed by LGBTQIA individuals. Affirmative care in all aspects is seen as the best practice in working with LGBTQIA communities. I understand the marginalization that people in the LGBTQIA face, especially those that identify as non-binary and trans. As a therapist who is committed to working with the LGBTQIA population, my passion is to help you learn to deal with the injustices you might face.
Eating disorders and the LGBTQIA+ Population
Studies show that both LGBTQIA+ youth and adults experience eating disorders and disordered eating at a higher rate than their heterosexual counterparts. Often times shame, concealment of both sexuality and gender identities are risk factors for eating disorders and/or disordered eating. One study points to discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, stigma and the need to disguise ones true self as another risk factor that is often reported among LGBTQIA+ individuals with an eating disorder. I am trained as a specialist in eating disorders. It is important when struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, body image or body dysmorphia that the clinician you work with understands the larger systemic problems at play for individuals in communities.
Transgender people often are in conflict with their gender identities. Some, but not all, experience heightened rates of gender dysphoria, the psychological distress associated with a difference between one's assigned gender and internal gender. Studies show that body image combined with gender dysphoria has shown some transgender men often striving to a less curvy and more muscular while some transgender women desiring to appear smaller, thinner, and “more delicate.” While this is not a monolith within the trans community, eating disorders may be developed for those who are desiring to alter their body to alleviate gender dysphoria. I will always be conscious of nuances like this in our work together.