Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity Counselling

Being LGBTQ+ can be an important and positive part of your identity. It can bring connection, community, self-understanding and the freedom to live more authentically. It can also involve challenges, particularly when your identity or relationships don’t fit the expectations of family, friends, workplaces or wider society. Living in a world that often assumes everyone is heterosexual, cisgender and monogamous can sometimes leave you feeling different, or misunderstood .

You might feel confident in who you are but find other people’s assumptions difficult to navigate. You might be dealing with discrimination, rejection, anxiety about being accepted, or the emotional impact of hiding parts of yourself. Perhaps you’ve spent years trying to fit in, or you’re only now beginning to explore aspects of your identity that you’ve previously kept private.

As a cishet woman, I recognise my privilege and acknowledge that I don’t have lived experience of being LGBTQ+. I approach this work with humility, openness and a commitment to ongoing learning. As an AuDHDer, I have my own understanding of what it can feel like to exist outside societal expectations of what is considered typical. I feel particularly drawn to working with people exploring their identities, navigating the impact of societal expectations, and finding ways to live more authentically as themselves. I aim to offer a space where you can explore who you are, free from judgement or assumptions, and where your identity is respected rather than questioned or defined for you.

Some people come to explore their identity; others seek support with grief, work-related stress, anxiety or other life challenges. I won’t assume that being LGBTQ+ is the cause of your difficulties, nor will I treat your identity as something that needs to be changed or explained away. We can explore whatever matters to you.

You may not know the answers, and you don’t need to find them all at once.

Our work can make space for uncertainty, allowing you to explore your thoughts and feelings without being pushed towards belief, disbelief, leaving or staying.

Areas I have experience of working with:

Gender Identity:  I offer an affirming space for transgender, non-binary, genderfluid, agender and gender-questioning clients to explore their experiences, identity and feelings without judgement or pressure to fit a particular expectation of what it means to be trans or non-binary. You may also be dealing with misgendering, discrimination, rejection, gender dysphoria, anxiety about how others will respond, or the emotional impact of having to explain or defend your identity.

Support Through Gender Exploration and Transition: If you’re considering or navigating a transition, counselling can offer space to think through the emotional and practical aspects of your experience. You might want to explore what transition means to you, how you feel about changes in your life, or how to manage uncertainty and other people’s reactions.

Exploring Sexuality and Sexual Orientation: Perhaps you’re questioning whether you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer or another identity. You may prefer not to use a label at all. You might have known something about yourself for a long time but only recently felt able to acknowledge it, or you may be questioning later in life after years of living according to other people’s expectations. Exploring sexuality can bring relief, excitement, uncertainty, grief or fear. Sometimes several of these feelings exist together. My role isn’t to tell you who you are. It’s to support you in developing a greater understanding of yourself, recognising what matters to you and deciding how you want to move forward.

Coming Out, Acceptance and Belonging: You may be deciding whether to ‘come out’, working through a difficult reaction, or trying to understand why acceptance from others feels so important. Perhaps you’re out in some parts of your life but not others, and managing the difference has become exhausting. Or the weariness that comes from coming out again and again as you meet new people, or start new jobs. These experiences can influence how safe you feel being yourself, how much you trust other people and how comfortable you are expressing your needs.

Polyamory and Consensual Non-Monogamy: You may be polyamorous, in a consensual non-monogamous relationship, exploring an open relationship or questioning whether conventional expectations about exclusivity reflect what you want. These relationships can be loving, meaningful and fulfilling. Like any relationships, they can also bring questions, uncertainty and challenges that deserve thoughtful attention. You may also be dealing with stigma, secrecy or a lack of understanding from people around you. It can be difficult when others assume that your relationship structure is inherently unhealthy, unstable or less meaningful than monogamy.

A Counselling Space Where You Don’t Have to Explain Everything

One of the challenges of feeling different can be the effort involved in explaining yourself. You might be used to anticipating questions, correcting assumptions or deciding whether it is safe to disclose something personal. You may have experienced situations where people made judgements before understanding your circumstances.

Counselling should not require you to spend all your time educating your counsellor or defending your identity and relationships. I aim to offer an affirming, respectful space where you can talk about your experiences without having to justify them. I will remain curious about your individual circumstances rather than assuming that everyone with a particular identity or relationship structure has the same needs.

Taking the First Step

If you would like a space to explore these experiences, you’re welcome to contact me to discuss working together.

Online Counselling

Counselling

How I work