Why Working With an LGBTIQ+ Therapist Can Make a Difference
Finding the right therapist matters. For LGBTIQ+ people, feeling genuinely understood and safe in the therapy room can be particularly important.
Many LGBTIQ+ people have had experiences of being misunderstood, judged, rejected or having assumptions made about them. Even when a therapist is supportive and affirming, it can sometimes feel exhausting having to explain terminology, relationships, community experiences or why something that seems small to someone else carries a much bigger emotional impact.
Working with an LGBTIQ+ therapist can sometimes reduce that burden.
Shared lived experience doesn’t mean that two people have had the same journey. There is enormous diversity within LGBTIQ+ communities, and no therapist can fully understand another person’s experience simply because they share an identity. However, there can be a level of understanding that comes from having personally navigated some of the complexities of living outside dominant expectations around sexuality and gender.
This can be particularly helpful when exploring experiences such as coming out, identity development, family rejection, internalised shame, relationships, discrimination, minority stress or simply figuring out where you fit.
It can also create space for therapy where your sexuality or gender doesn’t always need to be the focus. You might be coming to therapy because of anxiety, trauma, work, relationships or something completely unrelated to being LGBTIQ+. Knowing that this part of you is understood and accepted can make it easier to focus on what actually brought you through the door.
Ultimately, good therapy is about connection. You should be able to bring all parts of yourself into the room without wondering whether they will be judged, misunderstood or need to be explained.
For some LGBTIQ+ people, working with a therapist who shares that lived experience can make that connection feel a little easier from the beginning.