Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Counselling Services for 2SLGBTQIA+ Individuals, Including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities, Based in Vancouver

If you are struggling with issues of coming out or are confused about your sexual orientation or gender identity, this is where a Vancouver 2SLGBTQAI+ counsellor or therapist may be able to help.

Can you relate to any of the following?

• feel lonely, isolated, or confused – e.g., You find yourself asking, “ Am I gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer?”
• wonder if you are abnormal or morally corrupt
• feel ashamed about your sexual orientation or gender identity
• worry that if anyone finds out about your sexual orientation, you might lose your job, your family or your friends
• afraid that you will never have a satisfying intimate relationship
• tired of having superficial relationships and hiding who you really are
• have problems in your relationship due to your feelings about being lesbian, gay, or bisexual
• wonder how to connect with other lesbians, gays, bisexual,s or transgender people who are like you
• feel stressed out, anxious, or depressed

When you’re first coming out or wondering about your sexual orientation, it can be a source of confusion, anxiety, and depression.

If you are someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender and are just coming out, you may have a variety of feelings. It can be very lonely when you’re struggling to come to terms with your sexual orientation. You may feel confusion or shame about the possibility of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. You may also be afraid of rejection by friends and family.

It’s hard to feel good about yourself if you can’t accept yourself for who you are. It’s challenging to feel proud of having an alternative sexual orientation when society labels you as deviant, abnormal, or even, according to some religious groups, an abomination or less than human. If you’ve internalized some of these homophobic attitudes, you might feel shame about your identity and suffer from a poor self-concept, low self-esteem, and perhaps even depression. You may feel isolated and alone.

You may find that you just can’t seem to connect with people and end up in very superficial relationships and friendships. You may be confused or unsure how to have an intimate relationship and feel that something essential is missing from your life.

You may be feeling like there’s no way out… but there always is.

Working with a Vancouver 2SLGBTQAI+ counsellor who is also part of the community can help you determine if you are gay, lesbian, or straight. A therapist can help you come to terms with yourself.

When you’re feeling confusion and pain, the best thing you can do for yourself is to reach out for help. Working with a counsellor who is also part of the 2SLGBTAI+ community can help you work through your doubts and fears and help you gain new insights and a fresh perspective on having an alternative sexual orientation.

I’ve had over 20 years of experience as a counsellor and therapist, and have been out as a lesbian for close to 30 years.

I understand the coming out process intimately, both through my own experience of coming out and through my role as a counsellor and therapist with others who have struggled with coming out. My counselling and therapy training has included a variety of therapeutic approaches that can help you quickly overcome your confusion, doubt, shame, and fear. Through counselling, we can help you feel good about yourself and your sexual orientation and identity, whatever they may be.

As we work together in counselling, you will:

• Feel the relief of finally being able to talk to someone about the secret you may have been keeping for so many years
• Feel more connected to others
• Feel more accepting and confident about yourself and your sexual orientation or identity
• Develop the confidence to come out to family and friends with pride if that is what feels best for you
• Have more intimate and meaningful relationships with family and friends
• Develop a satisfying relationship or deepen an existing one
• Have a more balanced and fulfilling lifestyle
• Discover how to meet and interact with members of the 2SLGBTAI+ community

The thought of talking to a counsellor or therapist about your sexual orientation may seem frightening or overwhelming, but it can lead to a more balanced, fulfilling, and exciting lifestyle.

As a counsellor and therapist, I can help you. I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor with a Master’s degree in counselling psychology. For over 20 years, I have provided counselling and therapy to hundreds of people in the Vancouver queer community. Because I’ve struggled with my own coming out issues and been part of the 2SLGBTAI+ community for so many years, I deeply understand your difficulties with coming out, and I am committed to helping you overcome them. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction when my clients move from pain and confusion to self-acceptance and contentment with their relationships, family, friends, and community.