Finding a therapist can be a challenge, especially for members of the Queer community. You may find a therapist with a pink triangle, a rainbow flag, or terms like “Queer-Friendly” on their website. But, how do you know if a therapist is knowledgeable or experienced in working with the LGBTQIA+ community?
What is required of therapists?
In Ontario, Queer-specific education is not a licensing requirement for psychotherapists. Therefore, Queer education is relatively absent in most psychotherapy training programs unless students choose to take courses in this area or have instructors who consciously include LGBTQIA+ case studies in their classes. I believe this is a disservice to therapists and clients alike, especially because Queer folx often need a therapist who specialize in another area of treatment (e.g., eating disorders or grief), meaning all therapists should be competent to work with the LGBTQIA+ community. You can read more about this in my article The Need for Queer Education in Graduate Psychotherapy Programs.
What should I look for?
Since there is no requirement for therapists to engage in Queer education, it is important to find a therapist who is engaging in this work on their own. Look for therapists who list LGBTQIA+ as a specialty, not only a rainbow or pink triangle in the footer of their website. With the rise of online therapy, you will increase the likelihood of finding a specialist. With the correct searching, you can also find a therapist whose specialty is more nuanced and intersects Queer-ness with another niche such as polyamoury, religious trauma, or transitioning.
Directories like PsychologyToday (www.psychologytoday.com), which allow you to filter for niche therapists, and Rainbow Health Ontario (https://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/lgbt2sq-health/service-provider-directory/) can be helpful in finding a therapist specific to your needs.
What is the difference between Queer-friendly versus Queer-Informed?
You may see psychotherapists describe themselves as “Affirming”, “Queer-friendly”, or “Queer-informed.” While this may all be a matter of semantics, I believe there are important distinctions between them. A Queer-friendly therapist is someone who is non-discriminatory and accepting of Queer individuals. Personally, I believe Queer-friendly is the minimum standard we should accept from therapists (and all people).
A Queer-informed therapist, or affirming therapist, is more than accepting of their LGBTQIA+ clients. They are knowledgeable on the experiences of Queer folks and educated on the application of therapeutic modalities with Queer clients. This is important because certain modalities have proven to be more effective with LGBTQIA+ clients (e.g., Narrative as demonstrated in Julie Tilsen’s book Queering Your Therapy Practice) while other modalities require the therapist to be Queer-informed in order to adjust interventions to make them safe for the client. For example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy traditionally focuses heavily on the individual and can ignore systemic influences such as Queer-oppression (read more on this in Ahuvia, I., & Schleider, J., 2023).
Should I see a Queer therapist?
This is an excellent, and nuanced, question. The short answer is that this is a personal preference. Many Queer folx want to see a Queer therapist and oftentimes want to see a therapist with the same life experiences as themselves and that is a valid want. However, this is not always a necessity.
In my clinical work, I work with a lot of trans and non-binary clients. I am a cisgender woman so my clients often discuss feelings and experiences that are foreign to me. I have never been misgendered, experienced gender dysphoria, or feared being outed. However, I believe that is particularly why I am an effective therapist for this population; because I can approach these topics with curiosity driven by a desire to understand and without personal triggers needing to be tamed.
Questions to ask your potential therapist!
I highly recommend clients take advantage of consultations offered by the majority of therapists these days. This gives you an opportunity to see if you vibe with a therapist. On these calls, I recommend asking the following questions:
- What personal connection to the Queer community do you have?
- What education have you done regarding work with Queer clients?
- How has your experience influenced your clinical work with Queer clients?
Hopefully, this can guide your search for finding a therapist that is knowledgeable and experienced in working with Queer clients.
If you are looking for a Queer-informed therapist, check out our clinicians or reach out to us.