Therapy for LGBTQ Issues, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

LGBTQ Relantionship Issues

Developing feelings of love or passion towards someone is not something to feel traumatized about. And yet there are many people who feel as if they have suffered in some way because of the gender they associate with, or because of their sexual orientation. People who are LGBTQ also often experience stress related to not just being a minority in the world, but also because of the stigma they face in various places. When going for therapy for issues related to your sexual orientation, gender identity, or romance related queries – it is important to go to a therapist who is a trained professional who excels in their field. This is to ensure the success of the therapy, as having the wrong counselor can work towards making the situation worse.

The full form of LGBTQ is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer. The ‘Q’ can also stand for questioning – that is to say, that they are unsure about their sexual orientation. An LGBTQ person may face a broad range of issues while growing up. Starting from feeling isolated in their environment, to not understanding why they feel the way that they do, they can even be frightened of coming out to their own family. And that is largely not without fault – many families refuse to accept their children, if they come out as gay. This makes them hesitant to tell their family and creates a stressful situation for them. Similarly, venturing out into the world, they may feel as if they are isolated – that not many people understand them. They may feel as if their lives are distinctly different from those of the people around them, and this might cause them to become anxious and depressed.

Transgender Therapy

Those dealing with gender related issues may feel the same way. Some people might even want to transition from one gender to another but may feel conflicted about it due to the way the world around them operates. By engaging in good counselling, their issues could be well resolved and they could be on the road towards healing. Although most therapists are qualified to deal with LGBTQ issues, most members of the community feel more comfortable when they are opening up to a therapist who is also LGBTQ, or at least someone with wide experience in the field. It is also important to remember that anyone seeking to change their gender would need to go through mandatory counselling before. While such therapists may not be found in all communities – more and more counsellors have started offering distance services, and this could be massively beneficial to those members of the LGBTQ family who are looking for professional help.

What Issues Might LGBTQ People Face?

Despite rapidly growing cultural acceptance of diverse sexual and romantic orientations and gender identifications, oppression, discrimination, and marginalization of LGBTQ people persists. Coping with discrimination and oppression, coming out to one’s family, and sorting out an “authentic” sense of self in the face of social expectations and pressures can lead to higher levels of depression, anxiety, substance use, and other mental health concerns for LGBTQ people.

There is ample evidence that societal prejudice causes significant medical, psychological and other harms to LGBTQ people. For example, research on the issue of family acceptance of LGBTQ youth conducted at San Francisco State University found that "compared with LGBTQ young people who were not rejected or were only a little rejected by their parents and caregivers because of their gay or transgender identity, highly rejected LGBTQ young people were:

Undergoing counselling can be a good way to release pent up emotions, and work towards healing inner issues. By fully exploring what is bothering the person, their inner complexity slowly starts to make way towards a rational and happy approach to life. By understanding that there is nothing wrong with them, and finding a place where they can safely express themselves, they learn to open up their emotions.

Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) seeks to maximize clients’ options by offering a variety of services, hours, locations and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments. Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Locations in Tampa & Brandon,

Adoption and Foster Care Therapy

Conflicted Emotions After Adoption and Foster Care

Children that are placed in adoption or foster homes often experience conflicted emotions with regards to their past. They may not express it all the time, but the uncertainty of the future coupled with stress related to current events can work towards making the child feel overwhelmed. Through adoption and foster care therapy, it is possible to explore these issues with your child. Even those children taken into loving and caring homes, often experience stress related to life events and find it difficult to cope with moving on in their lives. It is important to engage them in an atmosphere designed to help them recover from past traumas , and adoption and foster care therapy can do that for them.

Understanding the Child's Past

Understanding where the children come from in their past can provide a clearer perspective on the issues they deal with on a daily basis. It is often the parents who cannot afford to raise a child, or those who believe that their child would be better off with someone else – are the ones who give their children up for adoption. Similarly, children placed in foster homes are often taken away from neglectful parents by Child Protective Services. While some of these children do find placements long term with a loving and nurturing family, most of them move from institutions to group homes, or between multiple foster families, until they grow old enough to leave the system. And not all foster homes are pleasant either – sometimes, it is possible for an adult in the foster home to abuse the child. A study revealed that one in three alumni of the Child Protective Services program said that they were abused at least once by an adult in the foster care system. A child can face abuse in multiple homes as well, and with the high case loads the Case Worker has to deal with, they may not notice the signs of neglect as well as abuse. Sometimes, a report that this is happening is also not provided, thus showing no evidence that anything is wrong.

Attachment Issues and Adoption

Due to the high number of placements and transitions a typical child may experience prior to finding a long-term home, attachment issues and related concerns are common. In addition, some children may exhibit serious behavioral issues as a result of early trauma and a lack of structure and consistency in their lives. These behavior problems can impact the entire family system and may also result in increased placement disruption in foster or adoptive homes.

Trained Counseling

Adoption and Foster Care therapy places the child in the same room as a trained counselor who specializes in resolving any issues the child might face because of their turbulent past. Often, children in adoption and foster care homes experience distress related to not knowing who they are or where they come from. There is a need to help them explore their identity and help them realize that they are entitled to a good life. Sometimes children who are placed even in happy homes, still continue to fantasize about their biological parents and siblings. As a result of this, they might become oppositional, angry or anxious. Exploring relevant issues related to both their identity as well as their past can help to resolve this matter. And therapy and counselling could provide a safe place to vent their feelings and express themselves. The environment will be confidential as well, ensuring that they feel safe and secure as they walk on the path towards recovery.

Family Therapy

Therapy is generally recommended for families seeking to foster or adopt a child. In therapy, a family can prepare for any issues that might arise, and learn how to cope with a child's particular or special needs, including any behavioral or health issues. With the child, they can discuss any concerns about behavior or developmental issues and work as a family to establish bonds and trust. Families who adopt or foster a child with significant behavioral or developmental concerns may find their situation challenging and consider giving up the child once again. Some of these issues may be resolvable with work in therapy, preventing further disruption to the child's life.

Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) seeks to maximize clients’ options by offering a variety of services, hours, locations and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments. Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Locations in Tampa & Brandon, Florida.

Marriage and Couples Counseling

Does Your Relationship Need Help?

Signs You Might Need a Marriage Counselor:

• When you aren’t talking.
• When you’re talking, but it’s always negative.
• When you’re afraid to talk.
• When affection is withheld as punishment.
• When you see your partner as an antagonist.
• When you keep secrets.
• When you contemplate (or are having) an affair.
• When you are financially unfaithful.
• When you feel everything would be OK if he would just change.
• When you’re living separate lives.
• When your sex life has shifted significantly.
• When you argue over the same little things over and over again.
• When there are ongoing relationship issues.

Deciding that your relationship needs work, and it might be a good time to try out a therapist is the right direction on the path to fixing your relationship. A lot of people choose to wait for long periods before they seek marriage and couples counseling, and by then it may be more difficult to save the relationship. The sooner you go to see a therapist to fix your problems, the more likely that those problems will be resolved for you. Different counselors take different approaches when it comes to dealing with marriage and couples counseling. Find the right therapist for you and your partner, and you are all ready to go.

How Does Marriage and Couples Counseling Help You?

By allowing yourself to be exposed to an environment where you can freely voice your opinions, you let a lot of the problems that are plaguing you, fall past your shoulders. Having an open conversation with your partner, in the presence of a neutral third party who is there to help and guide you, come with many benefits. Not only is your therapist trained in the art of fixing relationships, he can help you with any latent problems that you may have in your own relationship. Good and beneficial communication is the foundation of any relationship – and in the therapist’s office, the idea is to get those communicative juices flowing. The right kind of therapy will look at all the problems you have in your relationship, though communication will take the primary focus. There are many times in our lives when we behave passive aggressively, or engage in cold behavior with a loved one. Locating where your problems come from is an integral part of any therapist’s job. Some of the first things you might learn at couples counseling involves learning how to control your emotions and communicate effectively.

What Are You Looking for From Marriage and Couples Counseling?

The success of the therapy depends entirely on how willing you and your partner are towards making your relationship work. A couple that in actively working towards improving their bonds will find the sessions with their therapist enlightening, and can more readily work towards a fixed relationship. From learning how to communicate with each other, to discovering what was not working in their relationship, and striving to fix them, a good therapy session can do wonders for any relationship.

How Long Do You Need Therapy?

This depends entirely on what situation your relationship is in. If your relationship was not in a bad place to begin with, and you find yourself solving your problems quickly and moving on, then it was not such a long process. However, if your relationship needs time to improve, then expect to invest at least once a week with a therapist. Some therapists also offer individual supplementary sessions, so if you think that you need one – be sure to ask the therapist about it. Remember that the human psychology needs time to heal, and let yourself work towards a smooth resolution with your partner.

Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) seeks to maximize clients’ options by offering a variety of services, hours, locations and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments. Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Locations in Tampa & Brandon, Florida.