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gay and lesbian counseling, bisexuality,sex addiction,family interventions,relationship counseling
Are you having problems communicating?
Do you wish you were having more sex?
Do you wish you were getting more support from family and friends?
Are you having problems dealing with differences in age, race, religion or culture?
Are there issues with addiction that are affecting your lives together?
Is infidelity an issue that is causing pain?
Gay and Lesbian couples have the same vision of a mutually supportive, romantic, and emotionally intimate relationship as straight couples. However, because of external or internalized homophobia, GLBT persons may struggle with additional hurdles in forming healthy relationships:
Sense of self or relationship as worthless or destined to fail.
Lack of social connectedness or family support.
Vulnerability to addiction and depression.
Dealing with legal, religious, or employment discrimination.
Lack of alternative ways to view gender roles.
Lack of role models.
Lack of opportunities to socialize with other gays/lesbians couples.
Sexuality and HIV-related issues.
Disparities in age, race, and cultural background.
Unequal marriage and civil rights.
Queer couples suffer from a lack of support from families and adequate role models. These relationships need great compassion and care. Often the couples have inadequate tools to maintain a long- term relationship. Great support can be given in therapy.
One of the largest challenges in relationships is understanding the power dynamics. The culture awards privileges to an individual because of gender, race, age, size, and religion. If the couple is not aware of these differences, they can easily hurt each other. There are also issues of individual power, one person may have more psychological awareness, more emotional relational capability, have come out at an earlier age, and/or have more support from family. These issues can again be used to either support the other or a tool of power to hurt. I facilitate groups and workshops to deal with the special challenges experienced by queer couples.
Click here for more about me as a Gay Therapist in San Francisco. Click here for more on Bisexuality in my San Francisco Gay Psychotherapy practice. Click here for more on the Stages of Coming Out Gay in my San Francisco Gay Counseling practice. Ckick here for more FAQs about Coming Out Gay in my San Francisco Gay mental health practice. Click here for more about Gay sex addiction in my San Francisco Addiction Intervention practice. Click here for more on Transgender counseling.