A lot of mental health practitioners say they work with the LGBTQ community, but there is another level of care when working with someone who identifies as a member of the community.
It helps having a therapist who understands your life and culture. You won’t have to explain the difference between Grindr versus Scruff or Rita Mae Brown versus Cameron Esposito. Or have to explain what terms like Gender non-conforming, genderqueer, cis, and Two-Spirit mean.
My hope is that you will feel comfortable being yourself without feeling like you have to teach your therapist about queer culture.
The coming out process can be different for everyone. Aside from friends and family some feel they need to constantly come out at different points in their life: to coworkers, acquaintances, and new friends.
I understand that you are more than your sexuality and gender.
I also understand how it can impact you in complex ways.
For example, someone who struggled to come out until later in life may have developed personality traits of being people pleasers or over-achievers. This often impacts your life even today. Perhaps you carry your family dynamics with you in your adult relationships.
I also understand that while being queer is a portion of your identity it may only be one facet of who you are.
If you identify as a queer person of color (QPOC/QTPOC) that can be a whole other set of unique experiences you may have faced in your life.
I’m passionate about helping people work through mental health stressors related to identity and oppression, unpacking the historical context around numerous forms of internalized oppression. I believe in giving people power to trust their own intuition and inner wisdom.
We set goals at the first session to ensure each session is used productively, getting you closer to the person you would like to be.
Some common issues people in the LGBTQ community struggle with include:
- Self-esteem
- Body image concerns
- Relationship struggles
- Parenting
- Internalized homophobia
- Substance use/recovery
- Sexuality
- Loneliness
Whatever brings you to therapy at this point in your life, we can work together on a specialized plan for helping you gain more clarity, improve your quality of life, or improve how you function in your relationships.
If you would like to book an appointment please call (858) 376-7580 or email mdonboli@gmail.com.