As an accredited Sexual and Gender Diversity Therapist (SGDT) (Pink Therapy), I have a particular specialism in the field of sexuality and gender identity.
Some clients have wanted to come to better terms with their sexuality and then it has been the focus. Sometimes I have heard of clients wanting to explore another area of their life which was troubling them but found they were afraid of what might happen if they revealed they were in same sex relationship. As a clinician, I find many within the LGBT community are still apprehensive about revealing a gay identity, and sadly, some still find previous counsellors holding unhelpful and prejudiced attitudes.
As a transgender therapist I bring both personal and professional knowledge to the work, to offer a space that is accepting of gender and sexual diversity. My own experiences of homophobic discrimination and the journey to 'coming out' help inform my work and afford me additional insights into the lived experience of having an LGBT identity.
Whether you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered or part of the 'Kink' community you will receive a non-judgemental and non-pathologising approach to our work.
Other points of reference or interest:
For people exploring their sexual or gender orientation or seeking more information try visiting Pink Therapy or the GENDYS website
Later life Lesbianism – The rise in women expressing lesbian desire later in life. See also Coming out as lesbian – Help and information particularly for people coming out later in life.
Transgender Youth
And for people who need more bandwidth to express their true gender identity, try the following books:
- GrrlAlex: A Personal Journey to a Transgender Identity
A ground breaking book that presents new ways of understanding gender and embracing a congruent transgender identity. Click this link: What is transgender – understanding gender variance to find out more about transgender and visit my grrlAlex website to find out more about my work as an LGBT friendly gay wedding photographer
- Finding The Real Me
A moving collection of accounts from people who live in sexually or gender diverse ways, breaking the male/female binary. Importantly, the book also includes narratives from the transman perspective – an area and identity so often overlooked in transgender writing.
- Gender Outlaw
Kate Bornstein presents a case for blending gender and breaking the gender binary and embracing transgender
- Male Femaling
A research study exploring the expression of female identities by people raised as male.
Footnote:
Gay counselling: or rather LGBT aware counselling
A common search term for LGBT affirmative or LGBT aware counselling is “gay counselling” or “gay counsellor”. And although one doesn’t need to be gay to work with LGBT clients, the experience of many of my clients (and indeed indicated in much research including this recent paper and this report into LGBT/Gay Counselling by BACP) shows that there are gaps in training and provision. It’s important to note that core counselling training here in the UK doesn’t touch on LGBT/SGDT issues so many counsellors are simply out of their depth when working with lesbian, gay, bi and trans* (LGBT) clients. And sadly, clients often tell me of negative experiences they have had with previous therapists who didn’t appreciate the cultural differences that can exist within the LGBT community about how relationships are constructed. This is particularly so for clients for whom BDSM/Kink is part of their lives, since some therapists will attempt to pathologise this.
If you have been searching for “gay counsellor” or “Gay counselling” and landed on this page but are not based in South Wales, I offer this link to the Pink Therapy directory where you can find a therapist in your area who has undertaken additional training in this field.