The Non-binary Therapist

      Let's be honest, LGBTQ+ therapists are hard to find. LGBTQ+ therapists that are open about their identity are even more few and far between. Now, try adding an LGBTQ+ therapist that sees adolescents on top of that. Finding a provider is almost impossible. I see clients from the age of 6-100, but my focus is on adolescents. I've noticed over this past year that LGBTQ+ adolescents have little to no support and few resources. Sure, they're growing up in a generation that's different from us Millennials or Gen X'ers. They  have more access to vocabulary, the internet, social media, etc. But finding an LGBTQ+ therapist that identifies with the same population, understands and has the knowledge to work with adolescents is nearly impossible. Add on top of that that a lot of parents are not accepting of their adolescents who are first coming out.  I was speaking to a friend of mine the other night who has a 9 year-old that just came out as a lesbian and non-binary. I&

      The other night, I was having a session with a client that identifies as agender. We were talking about their dysphoria, that has recently reared its ugly head, and I began to thinking about coping mantras for dysphoria. I've seen mantras for all sorts of things: anxiety, depression, motivation..you name it, but I had never seen any mantras for dysphoria. So, I decided to take it upon myself to create my own list, which I will share with you here. I hope you enjoy them, add to them, and use them well:  Mantras (for dysphoria):  "It’s okay to be me".  "It’s okay if my outside does not match my inside." "My body parts do not define me".  "My body does not define me". "It’s okay to dress how I feel comfortable". "I’m unique, and no one else defines me".  "I am exactly as God or the Gods intended me to be".  "My gender is exactly how I define it".   "I don't have to gender if I don't want

 Greetings Earthlings:  I am a non-binary therapist, working in healthcare. A non-binary therapist you say? Yes, indeed, we do exist in the healthcare world too. Imagine that. As a non-binary person, I have been passionate about working with LGBTQ+ people for the entirety of my career. I am creating this blog as a free resource for queer folks, queer therapists, non-queer therapists who are interested in learning, and the people of the world who are interested in supporting and affirming queer folx. I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts and enjoy my therapy tips and suggestions.  As the world spins on, we continue to walk in our truth. Stay safe.  -"D"