My Online LGBTQ Counseling Services in Portland, Oregon. Finding Support and Understanding

I create a welcoming space for healing and self-discovery.

In my practice, I offer a safe space for clients to unpack internalized negativity, trauma, and unhealthy coping patterns.

With compassion, I guide individuals and couples toward self-acceptance, empowerment, and lasting change. Whether you’re struggling with coming out, religious trauma, minority stress, family relationships, or low self-esteem.

I will provide unconditional support and empathy on your journey as thriving as your authentic self.

The Lifeline of LGBTQ Counseling Services

1. LGBTQ counseling services provide essential support to address the heightened mental health challenges faced by the LGBTQ community. Studies show LGBTQ individuals experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts compared to heterosexual peers. This vulnerability stems from societal hurdles like lack of acceptance and systemic oppression, which can lead to feelings of isolation and diminished self-worth.
2. LGBTQ counseling offers a judgment-free sanctuary for self-discovery and empowerment. Through guided sessions, clients find the tools to embrace themselves fully, love deeply, navigate relationships, and thrive as their authentic selves. It goes beyond a service, transforming lives by helping clients discover purpose and belonging.
3. The power of LGBTQ counseling is its ability to be a lifeline – a haven to heal from societal wounds. With personalized care, resilience is built to navigate daily aggressions. Clients become authors of their own stories, moving from surviving to thriving. That is the essence and importance of LGBTQ counseling services.

It’s important to recognize that LGBTQ individuals have layered, intersecting identities. The oppression faced at the intersection of sexuality, race, gender identity, class, disability status, and other diversity factors compounds marginalization.

My LGBTQ counseling considers this intersectionality, addressing the multifaceted mental health impacts of overlapping systemic inequities. With cultural humility, I seek to understand each client’s unique needs and experiences as we walk the path of healing together.

LGBTQ Friendly Therapists vs. LGBTQ Affirming Therapists. What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

When seeking mental health support, LGBTQ individuals often look for therapists who are either LGBTQ-friendly or LGBTQ-affirming. While both approaches aim to provide a safe and non-judgmental space, they have notable differences. Understanding these distinctions can help you choose a therapist that best suits your needs.

LGBTQ-Friendly Therapist

1. Open, accepting, and respectful of LGBTQ identities and experiences.
2. Have a basic understanding of LGBTQ issues and challenges.
3. Create a safe space for LGBTQ clients to discuss concerns without fear of discrimination.
4. Focus on addressing the client’s presenting issues, which may or may not be directly related to their LGBTQ identity.

LGBTQ-affirmative therapist

1. Has a deeper understanding of LGBTQ identities, experiences, and unique challenges.
2. Actively validate and celebrate LGBTQ identities, relationships, and experiences.
3. Has specialized training in LGBTQ-specific issues and use affirmative practices
4. Focus on empowering LGBTQ individuals to embrace their identity and develop a positive sense of self
5. Actively challenge societal norms and biases that may negatively impact LGBTQ individuals.

As an LGBTQ-affirming therapist and a lesbian who has processed my own internalized homophobia, I am committed to providing a safe, validating, and empowering space for all of my LGBTQ clients. My approach goes beyond being LGBTQ-friendly; I actively celebrate and validate the diverse identities and experiences within the LGBTQ community.

In my practice, I challenge traditional gender roles and societal norms that can be harmful or limiting to LGBTQ individuals. I continuously seek out education and training opportunities, prioritizing learning directly from queer folks to deepen my understanding of the diverse experiences within the community. My goal is to create a space where my clients feel empowered to embrace their authentic selves and live their lives to the fullest, whether they are seeking support for coming out, navigating relationships, processing trauma, or working towards personal growth.

LGBTQ Relationship Counseling

As a queer counselor, I understand the extra pressures and challenges LGBTQI+ folks face in their relationships. According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), LGBTQI+ couples tend to be at higher risk for mental health conditions — particularly, depression and anxiety disorders. Many in the LGBTQI community face discrimination, prejudice, denial of civil and human rights, harassment, and family rejection, all of which can lead to new or compound symptoms, particularly for those with intersecting racial or socioeconomic factors.

It’s no surprise that lgbt marriage counseling is in demand because it may be more challenging for LGBTQIA+ people to remain grounded during arguments and set and maintain healthy boundaries. This is often due to societal factors that can encompass fear of rejection, a lack of familial support, religious trauma, and micro and macro aggressions inflicted upon them.

LGBTQ marriage counseling & getting the Love You Want

When Maya Kollman and her partner, Barbara attended their first Getting the Love You Want workshop, it transformed their relationship, and they became passionate about sharing Imago Relationship Therapy techniques with other queer couples. For the past 30 years, Maya and Barbara have been providing Imago Relationships Therapy and facilitating Imago workshops for lesbian, gay, and queer couples. Early on, they realized that LGBTQ couples who were seeking traditional couples counseling often experienced insensitivity or a lack of cultural competency from mental health providers. LGBTQ couples need safe spaces to be themselves where they are not misgendered, misunderstood, or subjected to heteronormative relationship norms and gender roles.

Taking inspiration from my own experiences as a lesbian in a loving marriage, I deeply understand the challenges that can arise from being misunderstood and marginalized by a heteronormative society. My wife and I have faced our fair share of awkward and hurtful moments, whether it’s encountering assumptions about our relationship or navigating a world that often caters to straight, cisgender couples. These experiences have only strengthened my belief that LGBTQ couples benefit the most when working with therapists who specialize in LGBTQ issues.

As an LGBTQ-affirming therapist, I am dedicated to creating a safe space where queer couples can process their unique challenges with someone who intimately understands the impact of heteronormativity, cisnormativity, internalized homophobia, and minority stress. I draw not only from my professional training but also from my lived experiences as a lesbian, which allows me to offer a deep level of empathy and understanding.

Polyamory & Non-monogamous relationships counseling

As a polyamory-affirmative counselor, I am dedicated to expanding my knowledge and counseling skills to work with people in polyamorous relationship structures by attending continuing education courses in consensual non-monogamy.

In my practice, I discovered that applying Imago’s Relationship Theory with numerous partners is as effective as practicing the same skills in traditional couples or marriage relationships. Imago Relationship Therapy is about creating safe connections between partners and healing interpersonal conflicts.