I have worked with LGBTQIA+ clients for around 20 years, and am a member of this community, as I identify as both a lesbian and as gender nonconforming. I have worked with many clients who identified as transgender or gender variant.
LGBTQ+ issues are ones which are close to my heart as I am a gay-identified man. LGBTQ+ individuals share many unique experiences due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. The symptoms that result from those experience are often more accurately understood by a psychologist who has shared in those experiences. This understanding facilitates greater affirmation and validation of your needs, along with designing a more effective approach to achieve your desired symptom relief. Helping people in our LGBTQ+ community is one of the primary reasons I decided to become a psychologist.
While receiving my doctorate in clinical psychology, I also received a graduate certificate in LGBT Health Policy and Practice. I used this experience to gain more insight into treating internalized heteronormativity and shame within the LGBTQIA+ communities.