In the queer community, we touch a lot on the truth of finding a "safe haven" to be who we are. Within the LGBTQ+ community, individuals face countless stages of their lives, in which they've at some point in time asked, "Will I be safe?" For many, the shame and systemic oppression around them has driven a wedge between their identity and capacity to maneuver the world around them. This is where creating that safe space becomes an essential intention to the practice I'm building here.

 

As counselors working with an Emotionally Focused Therapy approach, we value building that safety and security for each and every client that walks through our door. One of the very questions we might be asked is, "Are you comfortable working with someone in the LGBTQ+ community?" And the answer is simple. Yes. As someone speaking truth to my own experience, finding solitude and refuge was far from easy in a small community with heteronormative values and systems growing up.

 

Focused on relationship distress and building secure attachment, research around EFT has conveyed the message that, as therapists, we are responsible for cultivating a collaborative and empathetic approach to our clients’ experiences. For those within the LGBTQ+ community, I am dedicated to nurturing this environment for each of you.

 

Not only are those within the LGBTQ+ community faced with distress in relationships, but they are also conflicted with societal and historical indifference.  Therefore, it is my goal, just as it is with every person I work with, to understand what might be holding back individual's from sharing their vulnerable, deepest emotions and attachment needs with those they love. Through the various battles you have faced, I want you to know that cultivating a safe and secure environment to untangle insecure ways of connection is embedded within my practice.

 

This practice is built around the belief that we all have the answers within ourselves. 

I have held myself to the standard that I must continue to grow personally and as a professional. This requires continued knowledge of understanding relational, societal, cultural and familial impacts on building strong, irreversible bonds.