Therapy for LGBT+ in Augusta, GA
You accept who you are on the inside, but when you show up in the world you feel anxious or depressed, wondering if you will be accepted by others.
Do you feel like you have to hide parts of your identity from the people you're closest to?
Do you fear stepping into certain spaces for fear of judgment about your sexual orientation or gender identity?
Have your experiences with stigma or oppression caused you to experience shame or guilt about who you really are?
When you identify as LGBTQ+, there are unique challenges you likely experience internally and externally.
Not knowing who you are can bring confusion and stress to your daily life in the greater Augusta area.
Knowing who you are, but being afraid to admit that to yourself or others can bring shame, guilt, or embarrassment to your inner experience.
Identifying as part of the LGBTQQIA+ community AND living in the Bible Belt, can bring fear of stigma, discrimination, or judgment.
All of these experiences can increase your anxiety or depression and negatively impact your overall well-being.
If you have struggled with figuring out your identity or knowing what parts of yourself to share with who, LGBT Counseling in West Augusta, can help you explore and accept who you really are.
If you identify as LGBT and live in Georgia, you’ve likely experienced discrimination because of your identity first hand.
If you’ve been in the Augusta Common during Pride Week 🏳️🌈, you may have encountered protestors shaming you as you try to celebrate your identity.
Or if you grew up in a religious household or community, you may have gotten negative messages about what it means to be gay.
You may have been judged, called names, or shamed in other ways by your friends or family.
You may have known your true sexual orientation or gender identity when you were a child, but hoped that it would magically change because you believed life would be easier if you were straight or if your body matched your true identity.
You may have even wondered why you were born this way.
You may worry that if people know you are LGBT that you’ll be treated differently.
Many people that identify as LGBTQ+ have experienced shame about their identity at some point.
You might have had parents that said they accept and love you as you are, while also telling you “don’t tell your grandparents that you like the same sex.”
You may still love your parents while also experiencing resentment towards them for not being more accepting.
LGBT Counseling can’t erase the pain you may have experienced because of stigma or oppression, but it can give you a space to process your emotions openly-even when they’re messy, confusing, or uncomfortable.
Therapy for LGBT+ can help you accept who you really are even when others don’t.
If you’ve experienced discrimination by society or from other helping professionals, you might be anxious about working with a LGBTQ Therapist. You might worry that you won’t actually be accepted for who you are and that makes you hesitant to reach out.
It’s normal to feel anxious about starting therapy and opening up about parts of your identity that have led to experiences of discrimination.
While working with a LGBTQ+ Friendly Therapist, you can explore the parts of you that want to protect your identity and explore the parts of you that feel confident in being openly who you are.
You’ll learn how to hold space for both parts of yourself at the same time and decide how you actually want to show up in the world.
What to Expect in Therapy Sessions
Before we meet for the initial session, you’ll be asked to complete new client paperwork through my online portal. This paperwork covers your history, current difficulties, and what you want to get out of LGBT Affirmative Therapy.
In our first session, my focus is to understand you as a whole person and understand how your experiences have impacted your life. We’ll create a plan for LGBT+ Counseling together.
Throughout the process of therapy, we will continue to explore your inner world and different parts of your identity. You’ll have a space to process your emotions as well as learn to reframe your thoughts that may be contributing to heavy emotions, like shame, guilt, or embarrassment.
As we explore parts, my clients often experience improvements in self-acceptance and self-worth.
My Treatment Approaches
I am a holistic and non-religious LGBTQ Therapist that blends a mind-body-spirit approach with evidence based practices, including:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps us explore your inner world. We get to know the parts of you that may have internalized shame or guilt about your identity so you can develop self-acceptance and self-love.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you recognize and change the thinking patterns that cause shame or guilt about who you are.
Body-Based Awareness helps you connect to what is happening in your body.
Polyvagal Theory (PVT) helps you understand how stigma and oppression activate your nervous system and create anxiety or depression.
Reiki Healing (optional) is an energetic approach that helps you release stuck energy attached to shame or guilt so you feel more relaxed and grounded. Reiki can be offered as a standalone service, but can also be integrated into in-person therapy sessions at my office near the Augusta Mall.
Any combination of these approaches can help you explore and make peace with who you really are!
If society has judged you for being who you are, you might be nervous and have some questions before starting Therapy for LGBT+.
1. Can I actually be myself in your office without fear of judgment?
Yes! You are free to be who you really are with me, but there’s also no pressure to tell me everything about yourself immediately. You only have to share what you’re comfortable with.
It’s common for clients to feel hesitant at first, but most often, they get more comfortable with me as a LGBTQ+ Friendly Therapist, as we get to know each other better.
2. What is different about LGBT Affirmative Therapy?
As a LGBTQ Therapist, I don’t believe that anything is wrong with you because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. The therapy space is a place for you to explore who you are on the inside, process through your emotions, and find true acceptance for yourself.
LGBT Counseling also acknowledges the stigma and oppression members of the Augusta and surrounding CSRA LGBTQ+ community experience and how those experiences impact your mental health/well-being.
3. Are you going to tell me that God doesn’t approve of my identity?
Absolutely not! I am a non-religious therapist and we will only talk about religion if you feel like it has impacted you and needs to be processed.
4. Can therapy help me decide if I’m ready to come out?
Absolutely! As we work together, we’ll explore the part(s) of you that want to come out and explore the part(s) of you that have fears/concerns about coming out.
You will not be pressured to make a decision one way or the other. Therapy is here to help you explore the inner conflict that often arises during the coming out process.
Healing begins when you realize nothing is wrong with you because of your sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you identify as LGBTQ+ and you’re ready to explore who you really are, you can Schedule a Session here.
If you have questions or want to book a 15-minute complementary phone consultation, you can use my Contact Form.