Embrace who you are with LGBTQ+ counselling.
LGBTQ+ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and other identities of the queer community.
If you are a part of this community, you may benefit from counselling to help with
- Understanding your gender identity
- Exploring your sexual orientation
- Coming out to your loved ones
- Recognising and managing mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
- Handling discrimination and/or bullying
Issues That The LGBTQ+ Community May Be Facing
Here are some common issues that the LGBTQ+ community may face in their daily lives.
- Identifying gender identity
- Exploring sexuality
- Discrimination
- Social issues
- Work environment issues
- Relationships
- Coming out process
- Parents dealing with LGBTQ+ child
- Identifying gender identity
- Exploring sexuality
- Discrimination
- Social issues
- Work environment issues
- Relationships
- Coming out process
- Parents dealing with LGBTQ+ child
Facing these challenges may pose a higher risk of experiencing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Benefits of Seeking LGBTQ+ Counselling
If the above issues seem familiar or if you know someone who needs help coping, seeking counselling may be beneficial. These are 4 potential benefits of LGBTQ+ counselling.
Accepting Your Sexual Orientation
Your sexual orientation does not define you as a person. However, it is important to accept yourself to develop a positive self-identity and build your self-esteem.
Counselling can allow you to understand your self-worth and embrace who you are. Additionally, it would be good to surround yourself with people who support you.
Better Cope with Discrimination
Discrimination is often faced by the LGBTQ+ community in work, personal and relationship settings. If not handled with the right mindset, individuals are more likely to have mental health issues.
Thus, counselling provides a safe environment to talk through the challenges you face and develop healthy ways to deal with the discrimination.
Determining Your Coming Out Process
Coming out is a lifelong process of understanding, exploring and accepting your identity and sharing it with others. This process is tough but can be liberating and rewarding.
Seeking a therapist can enable you to figure out
- Who you wish to come out to
- If there is anyone you do not want to know
- The right time and setting to come out
- The way you share it with others
- Where to get support after coming out
It is also important to note that each individual goes through the coming out process at different speeds and in different ways.
Learning How To Support Your LGBTQ+ Children
If your child has recently come out, it may help to consult a therapist. This will allow you to learn how to better support your child and empower them to lead fulfilling lives.
Some ways to show your support include
- Educating yourself and your family
- Supporting your child’s identity
- Connecting them with useful resources
- Creating opportunities for open conversations
Your support will go a long way in helping your child accept themselves.
Our Psychotherapists for LGBTQ+ Counselling
Our approach with all clients is to be open-minded and respectful, as well as taking on the responsibility to be culturally competent and well-informed.
We recognise the experiences that are unique to the LGBTQ+ community, thus, we offer affirmative care and trauma-informed support on an individual and family basis.
Approaches Used During LGBTQ+ Therapy At Sofia Wellness Clinic
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
What it is:
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) empowers individuals to embrace their thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them. This form of psychotherapy encourages people to accept what they cannot change and commit to changes in behaviours.
How it helps:
During ACT sessions, the counsellor will get you to share your thoughts and feelings about the challenges you face. From there, you will devise an action plan to commit to that will help you achieve a more purposeful life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
What it is:
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aims to enable individuals to recognise negative thoughts and change these thought patterns.
How it helps:
During CBT sessions, you will work with the counsellor to point out your struggles, thought process and behaviours caused by negative feelings. From there, you will learn to identify the triggers for negative thoughts and how to change them.
Schema Therapy
What it is:
Schemas refer to undesirable behaviours that individuals develop when their needs are not fulfilled. This is when schema therapy comes in to advise how to ensure that your emotional needs are met in healthy ways.
How it helps:
Each session involves establishing your unhealthy behavioural patterns with a therapist. You will constantly confront your negative beliefs to justify reasons for change. From there, the therapist will provide healthy recommendations for fulfilling your needs.
Solution-focused Brief Therapy
What it is:
Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a goal-focused psychotherapy approach based on evidence. It aims to aid individuals in making changes by building solutions instead of focusing on problems.
How it helps:
During SFBT sessions, therapists will help you visualise how your life will be like without the problem or if the situation is improved to a satisfactory level. Thereafter, you will work together to lay out the resources required to create a feasible solution that can be easily implemented.
Why Choose Sofia Wellness Clinic For LGBTQ+ Therapy?
Inclusivity
Being inclusive is one of our company’s core values. We strive to build a community where all individuals are valued and respected for who they are.
Confidentiality
We ensure strict confidentiality as this builds trust with our clients. Here, you can share about your experiences, challenges and deepest emotions safely.
Our Counselling Fees
Here are our fees for counselling and psychotherapy sessions in Singapore. Fees are the same for in-office and online sessions.
| Consultation | Duration | Counsellor |
|---|---|---|
| Initial session (Individual) | 75min | $220 |
| Subsequent sessions (Individual) | 50min | $150 |
| 6 session package | 6 sessions x 50min | $810 |
| Initial session (Couple / Family) | 75min | $280 |
| Subsequent sessions (Couple / Family) | 75min | $250 |
| Out-of-session phone call or email | Per 10min blocks | $35 |
Counselling is a continual process that takes time, patience and work. Thus, you are encouraged to schedule sessions once a week or at least once every 2 weeks for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know what my sexual orientation is?
If you are unsure of your sexual orientation, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
- When you see opposite- or same-gender couples, what do you feel?
- When you think about your ideal partner, are they a specific gender?
These are good starting points to think about what gender or if there is a specific gender you are attracted to. It takes time to make sense of your feelings so remember to be patient when exploring your sexual orientation.
How many sexualities are there?
It is important to understand that the sexual orientation spectrum is not simply a line with complete homosexuality at one end and complete heterosexuality at the other.
Having said that, here are the more common categories:
- Heterosexual: Attracted to the opposite sex
- Homosexual: Attracted to the same sex
- Bisexual: Attracted to either sex
- Pansexual: Attracted to any gender identity
- Asexual: Not sexually attracted to others
What are gender identities?
Gender identity refers to one’s personal sense of their gender. This can be aligned with or differ from an individual’s biological sex.
There are many gender identities including (but not limited to):
- Male
- Female
- Transgender
- Non-binary
- Agender
- Pangender
- Genderqueer
- Two-spirit
- Third gender
- Gender neutral
Gender is a complex, fluid concept as individuals perceive themselves differently. If you are unsure of how to address a person, it is best to ask politely how they identify themselves.
Who is LGBTQ+ counselling for?
LGBTQ+ counselling is for the members of the community as well as family and friends of the community.
How do I know if a therapist is LGBTQ-friendly?
A clear sign that a therapist is LGBTQ+ friendly is when they specify their pronouns. This indicates that they recognise and respect gender diversity.
Another thing to look out for is their commitment to inclusivity and experience with LGBTQ+ clients.
How do I cope with discrimination against LGBTQ+?
If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, here are some ways you can cope with discrimination:
- Surround yourself with supportive people
Spend time and speak to supportive people about your struggles. It could be your family members, friends or other LGBTQ+ people you have met.
- Recognise that you are not wrong
Know that there is nothing wrong with you, your gender identity or sexual orientation. You are free to be who you are and love who you want.
- Seek professional counselling
Consult a professional trained in LGBTQ+ counselling to learn ways to better deal with the discrimination.
If you are a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, educate yourself and be openly supportive of the community and its events.
