Therapy for lesbian, bisexual, queer, and questioning women
Virtual Psychotherapy Services, from anywhere in Missouri
Simply navigating day-to-day life as a queer woman or coming to understand your sexuality or gender in a heteronormative world can be difficult and isolating.
But you are not alone.
Common concerns we can explore in therapy:
-
It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one going through it. But spending effort hiding your true self, emotional masking and feeling out of place are common experiences for queer women.
Therapy provides supportive, confidential space to process the day-to-day experiences of what it’s like to be you.
-
Our grief can take many unconventional shapes: experiencing alienation or rejection, low or no-contact family relationships, the feeling of lost time or missing out on experiences, or feeling invisible can be very painful experiences to navigate.
Therapy is an actively affirming space to process life changes or loss that feels ambiguous or is often unrecognized or stigmatized by society.
-
The world centers heterosexuality as the default, which can make it difficult to embrace your queerness. And for some women, attraction or identity can change over time or happen later in life. The process of self-acceptance is not always a comfortable one.
While navigating all this can be a painstaking process, it’s also a time to get curious about yourself. In therapy, we can find out what there is to learn about who you are & what you value, without judgement. Your identity is a strength.
-
Rigid gender roles, heteronormativity & internalized homophobia or transphobia can wreak havoc on our relationships, our mental health and sense of self.
Your experiences & your emotions matter. We can work together to strengthen your self trust, reclaim your personal power, find your voice to advocate for yourself, and to be yourself, in your everyday life.
-
Exclusionary doctrines & high-control religious environments are a source of harm for many LGBTQIA+ people.
Therapy provides a safe, affirming space to process spiritual abuse, family rejection, and the deep shame caused by harmful religious teachings. We’ll replace ingrained self-doubt and guilt with self-compassion, whether you choose a secular path or wish to reclaim a safe spiritual practice.
-
Your sexual orientation and gender identity cross paths with other traits—like race, class, or ability—to shape your unique experience of marginalization or privilege. Living in our heteronormative society can create chronic stress responses from anticipating rejection, discrimination, or prejudice.
Therapy provides a safe space to process this stress & trauma, untangle internalized bias from self-worth, and build practical coping tools and resilience.
-
If you did not get safe, steady, or kind care from your main caregiver as a child this can cause deep emotional pain & suffering over the life course. Attachment injuries can also occur in our adult relationships from experiences like abuse, infidelity or betrayal. Healing requires recognizing that some of your current distress may stem from the past.
We can work at a comfortable pace to identify relational-behavioral patterns that may be holding you back, process deep-seated emotional pain, and establish new, healthier responses in order to move forward.
-
The desire for connection, belonging, pleasure and fun are needs we all have. You deserve to explore and understand your unique desires in a shame-free space.
*This is not an exhaustive list, if you don’t see what you’re looking to work on listed here, but feel we may be a good fit, please reach out!
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”
- Audre Lorde, poet, philosopher, professor & civil rights activist
You can expect:
We’ll work at your pace as you navigate & make meaning of your feelings & experiences. We will gently face your negative thoughts & self-doubt to uncover your authentic, vibrant self who awaits.
There typically isn’t any one perfect, tidy conclusion. We are all on a lifelong journey of self discovery & understanding. Queerness is not a destination, it is a path to liberation. You deserve safety, kindness, community, care & love. You deserve fulfilling, genuine experiences, connection & joy. Just as you are.
A safe, non-judgmental space to express & sort through your feelings
Person-centered therapy that honors you & your experiences
Mindfulness techniques designed to help you cultivate more inner calmness
Practical tools to challenge negative or anxious thoughts & soothe worry
Analysis & increased awareness of how social systems & oppression shape your life’s experiences
Exploration of the underlying beliefs impacting your self-perception & experiences
Clarification of your priorities & personal value system so you may live more authentically
Compassionate guidance to help reinforce self-trust & build inner confidence
Your path is your own.
Heteronormative standards of being & compulsory heterosexuality are strong. These forces try to dictate how we look, carry ourselves & how we show up in our relationships. But your path to understanding your sexuality, gender, relationships & ultimately yourself, is unique.