What Is Gender Affirming Therapy?
LGBTQ therapy in Philadelphia goes beyond a therapist who just accepts your sexuality or gender identity/expression for what it is. LGBTQ affirmative therapy is about approaching your gender identity with care, cultural competency, and awareness. An affirming therapist approaches the healing space with love, support, tools, and knowledge that applies to your specific experience. An gender affirming therapist should be able to address how discrimination on a micro (individual), mezo (community), and macro (institutions/policies/laws) level impacts the ways in which clients navigate spaces and their mental health.
Living in a cis-heteronormative majority world could mean that your voice, identity, and existence are constantly challenged and or told that who you are is wrong, especially when you realize that you are not what others assume you to be. In addition, being part of the LGBTQIA community can be scary, and sometimes it may feel as if you are taking a risk to share and be your authentic self.
LGBTQ therapy is recognizing, validating, and advocating for your needs as you navigate the potential negative influences and stigmas of how homophobia, queerphobia, transphobia, and cisheterosexism shows up in your everyday life.
