Therapy for Gender, Sexual Identity, LGBTQ Issues

 LGBTQ Therapy

Across the world, people have been experimenting with their sexuality. It could be because of not being happy with the natural order of heterosexual relationships or because going a certain way is not always the accepted way to keep in touch with their inherent needs. Society, in general, does not feel comfortable having people of mixed sexual preferences in their midst. For women and men who are attracted to people of the same sex, they meet with ridicule from family and friends. It is wise to seek out help from an expert counselor who can help you deal with the issue if you find yourself at the crossroads. While sex is one of the primary reasons why people seek companionship, it is not the only relevance for a relationship to form the deepest roots.

Identifying sexuality

Finding an identity in the big bad world of judgment can take quite a while. People who are born with both sex organs do not know where they stand. When others find out their secret, they face ridicule and insults from every quarter. At some point in time, if they identify with a certain sex, they may opt for a change and settle for being identified as either male or female and not ‘other’. The question, therefore, arises as to whether the person may be accepted in society as she/he may not be able to have children because of the change in gender. Everyone has a deep need for love, and society should not differentiate.

Solutions for multi sexual issues

Counseling works wonders in helping a transgender deal with any problem that may come their way. Before going in for the operation, anyway, the individual has to know what it feels like to change from one gender to the next. Most people do not understand the concepts of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or asexual. Because of this lack of knowledge, people who do not fit within a certain framework are branded for life. This form of bullying, therefore, becomes quite difficult to take and the individual may even resort to harming himself/herself because of not fitting in with the rest. The point is that sometimes people are born this way; some opt to be gay just for the heck of it to prove a point. A therapy session will help one identify if she/he is really bisexual or an inherent heterosexual being.

Hormones and the rapid growth of sexual functioning

The therapist in Tampa, Brandon, FL ensures that he/she hears what the patient has to say before helping the individual. Most often people feel dejected because they do not appear to be like their family or peers. A deep sense of dejection may creep in resulting in them feeling queer. They feel alienated and removed while their hormones peak and feelings go out of sync. A good therapist helps people caught in a difficult situation, find a way out of their worries, and identify with who they are, even if they are judged. Therapy is the best form of help for people who are ostracized because they do not fit within a so-called normal framework.

Visit Collaborative Therapeutic Services in Tampa | Brandon, FL for more information about therapy for gender, sexual identity, and LGBTQ issues.

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.

Family Therapy Tampa | Brandon FL

Benefits of Family Therapy

Family counseling or family therapy is a series of processes designed to tackle specific problems that change the family’s psychological health. These problems could be mental health conditions or major life transitions. Family therapy is utilized as a primary form of treatment or as a complementary procedure.

Family therapy has the following benefits:

Improve communication

It’s quite common for majority of the family members to be open to one another, which creates disconnection and distance between each other. As a result of this, bigger problems will arise in the future. However, a counselor will help family members understand their part in the family and show the benefits of honest and open communication. Counseling session for all family members will break the ice, allowing them to communicate and understand others positively, without any conflict.

Strengthen bonds and enhance relationships

Depending on the nature of siblings, conflicts can exist between them. If these problems remain unresolved, it will have a serious negative impact on the bonds within the family. Sometimes siblings are jealous of each other and fight to gain attention among other things. Parents misinterpret the situation and consider it unimportant, which results in the siblings having unresolved feelings. A counselor will help parents understand their children better, teach the members how to express their feelings and bring the family together as a single unit.

Boost self-esteem

If all the family members want to cope up with the community and the major challenges life throws at them, they need to have good amounts of self-esteem. People who live or grow without self-esteem will be vulnerable to interpersonal problems, health problems, and peer pressure. If the parents lack self-esteem and motivation, it is more likely for their children to have the same problems. A therapist will help restore self-esteem and motivation which enables the family to understand each other. As a result of this, all the members will feel good about themselves and their perceived value in the neighborhood. The family becomes a unit and will live a more positive life, increasing the chances of being successful in their endeavors.

Happier family

Due to the availability of a large number of entertainment devices such as smartphones, tablets, and televisions to name a few, people turn to them to escape reality when they are facing a problem. Rather than facing and overcoming the situation, people prefer to run away, which can result in the family getting alienated. Counselors help in coping and tackling problems head first so that people don’t ignore their family members. As a result of this, the entire family will be happy.

Better mental health

It is important to be at peace with oneself and all the other family members for good mental health. Peace only exists when all members can understand each other and are willing to work together as a single unit. As long as there is someone to listen to woes and provide help when possible, there will be harmony among the family members. Counselors help family members to identify and handle problems constructively.

Every family has its own set of problems which can be messy if no one knows how to deal with them. Counselors provide proper training on how to deal with such situations by making the family work as a team. Family therapy is beneficial for all the family members and brings everyone together!

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.

Photo By Eric Ward [CC BY-SA 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Reasons Why You should go to Couples Therapy

Couples Therapy

Couples therapy sounds quite scary because of its association with serious problems in relationships. However, experts have a different opinion about couples therapy as it can be useful in all stages of the relationship, including when you think everything is okay and everyone is happy. One of the major benefits of visiting a couples counselor is that it teaches you and your significant other vital communication skills. You can use these skills in something as small as where you want to go for dinner to something as big as where you want to go for a vacation. A therapist will always make your relationship stronger, regardless of where your relationship might be. Here are five reasons on why you should go to couples therapy

1. When someone cheats

Although dealing with cheating is often a delicate situation, therapists can cut through the explosive feelings and bring stability and hope in an otherwise haywire situation. You should know that affairs happen for a reason. Therapists enable you and your partner to see what was the reason behind the affair, which can be instrumental in deciding if you want to break it off or fix the relationship. Counselors will guide you through the entire process regardless of the outcome.

2. Sex isn’t great

The vast majority of the couples are uncomfortable talking about what goes on under the blankets, especially when there is a problem. A therapist will open up the conversation and provide a vocabulary that the couples can use to talk about their problems. The therapist will make the problems look normal and will also provide additional scientific context to back it up. Also, therapists will help in getting your sex life back on track.

3. You and your significant other have money problems

It’s quite stressful to manage your own money but when you add your significant other’s debt, financial problems, or budget into the mix, you have a great recipe for a recurring fight. Most of the time, people associate fear with money, due to their personal history. Without professional help, it will be challenging to navigate through this problem. Whether you and your significant other are fighting about how to split a check or any other financial matter, a counselor will help in understanding the root causes behind them.

4. You want to break it off

You should know that you can use couples therapy when you want to break it off with the significant other on good terms, which is extremely useful when you have kids. A counselor will help you and your significant other, figure out whether it is a good idea to break up and work through the problems behind this drastic decision. By doing this, you will be at peace when you break it off. Also, the counselor will help in figuring out how to share custody of kids and pets, if any.

5. You’ve reached a relationship goal

Usually, couples wait until a problem arises before reaching out to a counselor. However, discovering these problems when you reach a relationship goal such as getting married or moving in together before they crop up will save a lot of hours and heartache in therapy. Going to a counselor during the early stages of your relationship will help in developing tools to work through the relationship without therapy during the later stages of the relationship. A therapist will ensure that there is effective communication and understanding between you and your significant other.

These are the five reasons why you should go to couples therapy. Every couple has their own set of problems, which a therapist can fix effectively through counseling.

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.