LGBTQ Therapy: The Search Doesn’t Have to Be So Bad
Sick of searching “LGBTQ Therapist Near Me”? This article will tell you how to get more practical with your search for an LGBTQ therapist, so you don’t get overwhelmed and give up. We’ll also cover the basics of what LGBTQ therapy is, and validate just why it might be right for you. But we’ll actually cover those topics in reverse order, so if you’re just looking for tips from a licensed therapist on how to search for a therapist, scroll to the bottom, y’all!
What is LGBTQ therapy?
Alright, starting out with what may be one of the biggest “duh statements” of the century: LGBTQ therapy is therapy for LGBTQ people. It’s centered around supporting all folx in the prism of the LGBTQQIP2SAA+ rainbow with their stressors, traumas, and eeeeeverything else in an accepting and identity-confirming way. If you’re looking for the term for therapy that seeks to change people’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity, that’s called conversion therapy. And we hate that here. It’s ineffective, increases risk of mental health challenges including suicide, and –in nonclinical language– just plain sucks.
*BOO HISS*
Let me be. Keep your conversion therapy farrrr from me.
Does LGBTQ therapy work? Considerations
Sure can! There have been multiple studies to show that therapy for queer folx is just as effective as for non-queer people. In fact, there’s even a study that shows therapy for queer folx has the potential to work even a bit better than therapy for our hetero counterparts. In the words of that study, which took a look at therapy outcomes for some members of the queer community in London, “Despite significant mental health burdens and stressors, [lesbian, gay, and bisexual] individuals had similar, if not marginally better, outcomes and engagement with psychological therapy compared with heterosexual patients.”
Why? While it’s impossible to be wholly definitive*, the authors of the study theorize that increased therapy attendance and engagement likely play a role. But… it’s not just that, because the authors also posit “the vital role of feeling accepted, understood, and supported by therapists,” could help explain the increased levels of “engagement and comparable outcomes despite the high burden of mental health difficulties within these populations.”
*A callout here: I’m not a fan of one of the limitations of this study. Keeping myself honest is important to me, so I’ll take a moment to speak to the limitation. This study only used binary “male” and “female” options when collecting demographics. Which means our trans and gender expansive siblings got under and/or incorrectly represented in the data. While I dislike this greatly, I was unable to find a recent, equivalent study to reference which adequately allowed for selecting gender expansive and trans identity demographic markers. Which…really just highlights the need for more gender affirming studies that do. Sigh. Same ol’ story.
Attendance and Engagement,
AKA Commitment
Okay, so another “duh statement” from me: showing up consistently and putting in the work makes a difference. I’ve worked with folx for over 15 years doing clinical work, and the ones who do the best are the ones who put in the work. They apply the skills they learn, they arrive ready to dive into the work in sessions, and they give direct feedback about what they need (including if they need something different from me, which I love!). That being said, it’s inevitably easier to show up and show out for therapy when you feel like you can. AKA when you feel safe to do so because you have an accepting provider.
Timing
Okay, now before you start to get overwhelmed wondering just how long it might take to see changes from therapy, stick with me for a second. Because, truly, everything worth pursuing is probably going to take at least a little bit of time. And also, the hard truth here is that in therapy, sometimes things can feel worse before they feel better. That’s because we need to spend time in the beginning getting to know each other and what’s been going on in terms of your challenges. Which also means, we’re focusing on the challenges. And since paying attention to a thing means we’re more likely to have feelings about it…well, it can mean a bit of time is needed for things to shift into feeling better.
That being said, I’ve also absolutely had sessions in which a client tells me they feel better by the end of that single session. So, in classic therapist fashion, I have to say that the length of time it can take for therapy to feel effective depends. It can be immediate, or it can take some time. But if attendance and engagement are on point, that timeline gets as efficient as possible.
What about differences because of the therapist?
See now, I LOVE this question. Because, you’d be absolutely right to think that the therapist matters in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of treatment. Let’s dive deeper in the section below.
Therapists have diversity just like the rest of the population. Finding the right one for YOU is key.
What therapists are better at LGBTQ therapy work?
Culturally Humble, Informed Therapists
The title of this section basically says it all. The therapists that are best to work with are those who are culturally humble and informed about the LGBTQ population. Which, for the record, could be queer identified or non queer identified therapists. But, as a friend of mine recently wrote on my dirty AF back windshield, “lesbihonest”. It’s easier to be informed and culturally humble about a community if you’re a member of that community. Otherwise said, it’s easier to make a mistake you’re not even aware you’re making that “differentially influence[s] clients’ outcomes based on clients’ sexual orientation” when you’re not learning about and actively engaging in the community as a member.
Trauma Informed Therapist
Next, a hill I’m perpetually willing to die on. As a queer person, you need to work with a therapist who is trauma informed. Why am I so spicy about this? Queer people have a higher risk of trauma. From familial rejection resulting in lack of housing, to increased rates of bullying and violence, to subjection to conversion therapy, and SO many more reasons. Even if you’re not looking to focus on your trauma, I truly can’t suggest finding a trauma informed therapist more. But before you go to search "Trauma Therapist Near Me,” read the FAQ section below!
Lived Experiences
Okay, first I’ll admit a bias. Because I AM a queer therapist. I've also worked with queer and non queer therapists as a client, and I gotta say… the queer ones were always a better fit for me. I didn’t have to try so hard to explain my feelings, my references, my traumas; I felt safer and was therefore able to get more out of the work. So when I look for my own therapist these days, it’s non negotiable that they be queer. Of course, that could be different for you.
So, no judgies if you decide differently.
✨💅🏼✨
How do I find an LGBTQ therapist near me? FAQs
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You can but it may not help in the way you’re hoping. Therapists tend to get into search results by marketing and using SEO optimization. Meaning that the therapists who have the money to market and have an established online presence are more likely to populate. And…those therapists may already be booked up because of that. AFAIK, there’s not a good way for any search engine or AI tool to know about therapist availability at the current moment, so…it’s a bit of a crapshoot at best. Especially since I’ve known many wonderful therapists who don’t have the budget to market in a way that competes with the bigger agencies or telehealth companies. But, they will still list themselves online via therapist lookup sites.
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PsychologyToday and TherapyDen still lead the way; they have lots of filters to help you make sure you find exactly who you’re looking for. They also have a way to select searching for therapists with availability, amongst other things. Special shoutout to TherapyDen for making a filter to find a queer identified therapist!
Of course, there are other lookup sites, as well as referral networks, and word of mouth that are still perfectly viable too. Heck, I’ve even seen really helpful Reddit threads, usually under a specific city/state/location; though I’ll note that lots of us therapists can meet virtually these days (I see people across 3 states- OR, CA, and MT- that way!). -
While you technically can use your insurance provider’s lookup tool to find an LGBTQ therapist, I can’t say that I really recommend it. In my experience, insurance company provided lookup tools don’t have nearly enough filters to make it possible to find who you’re looking for. They also tend to give therapist options that are either booked up or are no longer possible to work with in other ways, because insurance companies only ask providers to confirm their availability once a business quarter at most. So, they’re not an accurate representation of who’s available to work with in the network. The good news? You can still look up providers in specific insurance networks in PsychologyToday or TherapyDen.
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If you have the resources to, I would highly recommend considering working with a therapist outside of your network. And before you get worried, it may not be as expensive as you think. There are insurance plans that give out of network benefits that can still help offset the cost of sessions. To learn more about your out of network benefits, you’ll need to pull up your coverage details, or if you don’t have them handy, get in touch with your insurance provider to learn them. From there, you’ll be able to see what they cover for out of network providers. Over the years, I’ve seen insurance plans that cover up to 70-80% of fees for out of network therapists. Definitely worth it to know what coverage details you have going on; it might make all the difference. Especially if you have a plan with a high copay or deductibles for in network providers anyway.
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Highly recommend looking for a therapist that offers sliding scale services. These are services that are reduced price to ensure access to care for those with low income. You can find clinicians open to this on PsychologyToday and TherapyDen (yep, there’s a filter for that too!), as well as through sliding scale provider lookup sites like Open Path Collective.
LGBTQ Therapy: Conclusion
Okay, y’all, now you know what LGBTQ therapy is, who it’s good for, what kind of LGBTQ therapist to look for, and how to find an LGBTQ therapist in as efficient a manner as possible. Of course, finding the best fitting therapist for you may still take some trial and error to find the right click. Which is why I highly recommend going through at least a few consultations before selecting someone to work with. Most of us do a free consultation call, so you don’t have to spend any money to figure out if we’re the right fit. Take us up on that!
And of course, if you’re a queer person in OR, CA, or MT and want to work with me, I highly encourage you to reach out and schedule your free consultation call with me today!