In-person in PASADENA & online across CA
LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy
Specialized, trauma-informed therapy for LGBTQIA+ adults.
You deserve a space where you don't have to explain yourself.
LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy is not just acceptance — it is celebration. It is a space built for you, exactly as you are.
While many of the struggles LGBTQIA+ folks navigate are universal — anxiety, grief, relationship challenges, identity questions — there is often an additional layer. The weight of homophobia, transphobia, family rejection, or societal erasure. The exhaustion of code-switching, defending your existence, or hiding parts of yourself just to feel safe.
That extra layer matters, and it deserves space. In LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy, you don't have to choose between addressing your "presenting issue" and honoring your lived experience as a queer person. We hold both.
Whether you are navigating coming out, exploring your identity, healing from trauma related to rejection or discrimination, or simply seeking a therapist who gets it without needing an explanation — this is a space designed for you.
Explore
your past experiences
How you navigate your identity now is shaped by the messages you received about queerness growing up — whether it was safe to be visible, whether love and acceptance felt conditional, or whether you learned early on to hide parts of yourself to survive.
We'll explore your history with identity, belonging, and safety — not to pathologize your queerness, but to understand the impact of living in a world that hasn't always affirmed you. Understanding these patterns helps you see what's yours to heal and what's the result of systemic oppression.
identify
The root cause
LGBTQIA+ folks often carry layers of harm: internalized homophobia or transphobia, stress from constant hypervigilance, shame from religious trauma or family rejection, grief over lost relationships.
For LGBTQIA+ BIPOC and others navigating multiple marginalized identities, these layers are compounded — facing racism within queer spaces, homophobia or transphobia within communities of color, and the exhaustion of existing at intersections where neither space fully sees you.
We'll identify what's underneath — whether it's unprocessed trauma, the exhaustion of code-switching, fears about safety, or the weight of living at multiple intersections. Once you understand what's driving your pain, you can address it with compassion instead of self-blame.
uncover
What matters to you
Being LGBTQIA+ often means questioning the scripts you were handed about relationships, family, success, and identity — and deciding what actually feels authentic to you.
We'll help you clarify your values, explore what community and belonging mean to you, and build a life that honors all of who you are. This isn't about conforming to anyone's expectations — queer or straight, cis or trans. It's about discovering what feels true and building a life around that truth.
I’m here to help with:
+Coming out (to yourself, family, work, or community) at any stage of life
+ Gender exploration, transition, or navigating life as a trans or nonbinary person
+Healing from family rejection, religious trauma, or internalized homophobia/transphobia
+ Relationship challenges — whether monogamous, polyamorous, or exploring what feels right for you
+ Navigating LGBTQIA+ identity alongside other identities (race, religion, disability, culture)
+Building chosen family and finding your community
If you’re ready to…
01
Stop hiding, performing, or editing yourself just to feel acceptable
02
Heal from the harm caused by rejection, discrimination, or internalized shame
03
Explore your identity without judgment or having to defend it
04
Build a life that honors all of who you are — not just the parts that feel "safe" to share
…then let’s talk.
Your identity is not the problem. The world's response to it has been. Therapy is a place to heal from that — and to reclaim yourself fully.
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LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy means your identity isn't something to fix, analyze, or explain away — it's celebrated and honored. It means I have training and lived understanding of LGBTQIA+ experiences, so you're not educating me about what it means to be queer, trans, nonbinary, or any other identity.
It means we can get right to the work you came for — whether that's anxiety, relationships, trauma, or identity exploration — without you having to justify who you are first.
Affirming therapy is built on the understanding that your queerness is not the problem; the systems and relationships that haven't affirmed you might be.
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That's completely fine. You don't have to be coming to therapy "about" being LGBTQIA+ for it to matter that your therapist is affirming. Your identity will inevitably show up in how you experience anxiety, relationships, grief, work stress, or any other issue — and it matters that your therapist understands that context without you having to explain it.
Affirmative therapy means your whole self is welcome in the room, whether your queerness is the focus or just part of the backdrop.st the symptoms. You'll learn to understand what's driving your anxiety and develop practical ways to work with your nervous system rather than against it.
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I work with individuals navigating relationship issues, whether you're in a monogamous partnership, polyamorous/non-monogamous relationship, or exploring what structure feels right for you. I'm also kink-affirming and sex work-affirming — those aren't issues to fix, and you won't face judgment here.
While I don't provide formal couples therapy, I can help you work through relationship challenges, communication issues, or navigating coming out within a partnership. I understand that queer relationships and sexuality don't always fit traditional models.
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Schedule a Free Consultation and choose a time that works for you. We'll spend 20 minutes on the phone talking about what you're looking for and whether my approach feels like a good match. If it does, we'll schedule your first session and get started. If not, that's okay too — I'm happy to provide referrals to other therapists who might be a better fit.