LGBT+ Therapist in NYC

My approach to LGBT+ Affirming Therapy.

There is so much beauty in queerness. Maybe you have known you were queer your whole life. Maybe you just realized you are queer. Maybe you're constantly questioning your identity. Amandla Stenberg said it well, “Gender and sexuality are so fluid. It's OK to change your mind a million times and figure out what works for you. It's OK to take your time.”

Therapy is a great place to start exploring what queerness means to you. In our society there are a lot of a hetero cisnormative messages to challenge and cope with. It is unfortunately very common for queer people to experience anxiety, trauma, or depression because the world often rejects what it doesn’t understand. 

Therapy gives you the time to nurture and explore the relationships you have with yourself and others. All humans, but especially humans who identify as queer, can be overloaded with messages that they need to improve themselves or change. Rather than focusing on self improvement, I have found it beneficial to work with my clients to explore what is important to them and help them learn skills to build a life that they are proud of.

I’m passionate about working with all queer folx, but I especially connect with people who feel insecure or experience “imposter syndrome” about their identity. For example: they don’t feel gay “enough” or they experience a feeling of having to prove themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

It is important for me to take the time to get to know my clients and assess what is going on with you. My approach is individualized, collaborative, and goal oriented. We will utilize a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

ACT utilizes mindfulness strategies and self compassion exercises in ways which are proven to help people cope with difficult feelings and emotions. This type of therapy is interactive and hands-on. I will ask you to do activities in sessions and help you to implement what you learn outside of sessions.

Why ACT?

The goal of ACT is to help you create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the inevitable pain that arises along the way. I feel passionately about this approach because it normalizes experiencing all emotions including sadness, anxiety, and anger. ACT teaches you skills to help you be more present for the beauty and joy that life has to offer while helping you to manage the unavoidable pain and suffering.

Intentionally Inclusive and Socially Conscious

Another important aspect of my practice is recognizing the impact of systems of oppression on mental health (white supremacy, racism, ableism, homophobia, and fatphobia to name just a few). These forces of institutionalized bias are ingrained in our culture and therefore have some influence on everything in our lives, including having a huge impact on mental health. Even within a therapist-client relationship, complex dynamics of power and privilege come into play. I work hard to acknowledge how these forces affect myself and my clients and I am always open to discuss and explore these topics. ​​