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LGBTQ+ counselling

Acorn Counselling Therapy is part of the LGBTQ community and is passionate about offering affirmative LGBTQ+ counselling to people from the community.

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Do you want to talk about issues related to your sexual or gender identity? 

Are you experiencing gender dysphoria? Looking for a specifically experienced therapist for trans counselling? 

Would you prefer counselling with a professional from the LGBTQ community?

Interested in face to face or online counselling from a professional that has qualifications specifically for these methods?

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If you answer yes to these questions then enquire about counselling.

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You can find out more about Acorn Counselling Therapy on my About page website or read more on this page about my LGBTQ counselling approach.

Counselling for the LGBTQ+ community 

Coming to terms with your identity is an important rite of passage in the life of someone from the LGBTQ community. The journey can be difficult, with battles both internally in the mind and externally from the social world to deal with.

 

Working with a LGBTQ therapist who has a shared experience of living with issues related to a LGBTQ identity can be necessary and important. You may want to talk about your thoughts and feelings about 'coming out' or explore your experience of gender dysphoria. Working with a counsellor who is from the LGBTQ community means you will be able to focus your counselling sessions on the specific issues that you bring to counselling. You won't have to first explain your identity, which may happen working with a non-LGBTQ counsellor. 

 

My name is Peter and I am proud to be part of the LGBTQ community and I am dedicated to supporting the mental health needs of the community I belong to. The focus of my counselling work at Acorn Counselling Therapy is about providing a professional, trusted and caring counselling service to people who identify as LGBTQ. I have worked with clients on issues related to gender identity, gender dysphoria, sexuality and relationship diversity. Clients have told me that having a counsellor to talk to, who is from the same community and shares an understanding of what it's like to have a LGBTQ identity, helps them to feel safer. This really helps to develop trust in the counselling work, as people feel seen, understood and appreciated for who they truly are. 

Common mental health issues LGBTQ+ counselling can help with

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Peter - Counsellor

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  • Anger, fear and anxiety from discrimination

  • Minority stress

  • Depression 

  • Gender dysphoria

  • Dealing with and processing shame

  • Feeling vulnerable and exposed from coming out

  • Breakdown of relationships such as in the family

  • Complex relationships with friends or partners

  • Social isolation

  • Suicidal thoughts and feelings

  • Emotions related to medical interventions and procedures

  • Living with HIV/STI’s

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What do I offer?

At Acorn Counselling Therapy I offer short or long-term counselling face to face or online by video, by email or instant messaging.

 

I understand the wider contextual picture of what it means to be a part of the community. From my own journey in life of being gay, I get how our identities have a big impact on how we live, the people we have in our life, the struggles we face and our health.

 

I also know how truly amazing people from our community are, how courageous we are in living an authentic life and how much love and colour we bring to the lives of the people around us. 

 

At Acorn Counselling Therapy, I offer a relational style of counselling, using Transactional Analysis, where we work together on the issues that you want to bring to counselling. You will have the time to explore, clarify or achieve change and personal growth, in a space that is affirmative of who you are. 

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As you learn to develop your self-awareness and self-belief, you will be supported with empathy, warmth and an understanding of your perspective. My situation is not the same as yours, but it’s important to share that I have an understanding and empathy for what people talk to me about. This is because I have experienced something similar in coming to terms with and living with a LGBTQ identity.

 

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  • Counselling gives you the chance to speak openly, in confidence and without being judged, about one of the most important aspects of who you are, your identity.

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  • You can build an understanding of how your personal development, was shaped by your identity and how this impacts your life today.

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  • Counselling allows you to process your thoughts and feelings in a safe and accepting space whilst talking about gender, sexuality and relationship diversity. 

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  • Working through emotionally distressing situations in your life can help to reduce factors that are having a negative impact on your mental health and physical wellbeing. 

How LGBTQ+ counselling helps

My LGBTQ+ counselling experience

I am committed to supporting people from the LGBTQ community. This is evidenced by my current work in my private practice, Acorn Counselling Therapy and my role as a volunteer counsellor for 3 years at MindOut, a LGBTQ charity in Brighton.

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I have worked with many LGBTQ clients on issues related to gender identity, sexuality, relationships, family, coming out, HIV, as well as mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, anger management and depression. 

 

I have written articles about identity on my website and have spoken to people across the country who work for the Ministry of Justice about identity, mental health and living life as part of the LGBTQ community.

 

I am listed as a counsellor working with LGBTQ issues on the counselling directory and have a directory listing on Pink Therapy.

Photo - Sharon McCutcheon. Unsplash.

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