I'm finding this (covid) time really hard. I'm looking for a therapist to talk to remotely to help me deal with some internalized bi/homophobia. Does anyone on EC have a recommendation or resources to share? I have found 1 therapist in my city that may fit but I haven't had a consult yet.
Which country are you in? If you’re in the UK, look at the Counselling Directory website, where you can find counsellors and it tells you whether they work online. There’s also Mind Out and their website has an online chat service, which might be helpful whilst you’re waiting to speak to a therapist.
If you are in Canada, the Psychology Today site can help filter for LGBTQ therapists. Or you could reach out to the Toronto LGBTQ center and see if they have referrals closer to you.
Betterhelp has a pride counselling section for online therapy. They are USA based I think but available in UK too. You may need to try more than one therapist to find one that suits you but there are some good ones. I hope you get the help you need. Things will get better. Don’t give up hope.
I would not recommend BetterHelp. They sell all sorts of data -- how often you use the site, how long you're on, information you prpovide to them -- to Facebook and to data vendors. That really creeps me out, personally. If you are in the US, you will (with a handful of exceptions depending on state) need a therapist who is licensed in whatever state you reside in. Everyone doing therapy is doing it via telehealth right now, so setting that up is pretty simple. Also, for what it's worth, I don't feel that one needs to have a therapist that specializes in LGBT issues. As long as s/he has competency in that area (and these days, almost all do) it's more about the specific approach, style, and nature of the work they do and whether or not that's a fit for you. Psychology Today is currently the best search resource I am aware of. I have also heard very good things about Open Path Collective, which connects clients with therapists that offer discounted rates for cash pay.
I This may be true but, in my experience having a counsellor who is not LGBT specific has not gone well in some cases for me. And working in an lgbt organisation, I have had the same anecdote from many of our community members. It does make a difference for many folks.
It’s a long shot that you’re in Scotland, but if you are, Rainbow Therapists is a network of therapists who are more well-versed in LGBTQ specific issues. Also, you might find it helpful to get in touch with LGBT helplines to ask for more guidance in finding counsellors. I don’t know if you’re in the UK, but we have: LGBT Switchboard serving all UK LGBT Foundation serving all U.K. LGBT Health and Wellbeing serving all of Scotland (but callers do call from many parts of the world to all of those helplines)
Thanks everyone. I was able to find someone local through psychology today in Canada. I had my first session today and it went well. I appreciate that there are therapists out there that aren't queer but are competent in the area but I found it really helpful that she is gay. Somehow I feel more comfortable that she can relate. I have been in therapy in the past but I've never been able to talk about my sexuality. It felt great to start opening up and she already made some great points that I think will be helpful going forward. I hadn't really ever considered how much shame I felt about my same sex attraction, and how much guilt I harbour around not being "out and proud!" I'm generally pretty hard on myself. I look forward to working on these issues.
