Supporting LGBTQ+ folk

So, I'm a counsellor who works mostly with LGBTQ+ people, this means I work with a lot of trans, non-binary, lesbian, gay, questioning, bisexual, pansexual folk and many others!

What is there to say about it? I love my work, I love to support people who are part of the same minority I am. Because it's not easy being a minority. This work isn't for me to feel better about myself, it's about giving my clients chance to connect with someone who gets it. As someone who lives in a very heteronormative (straight) world, but doesn't live that way.

Many of my clients found me because they wanted a queer/trans/LGBTQ+ counsellor. It's a part of their identity that they don't have to explain, because there's already a certain level of understanding. That doesn't mean I know everything, far from it. So that's why I always ask what something is like for that person. We all still come from our own places, our own experiences that have shaped us. As a therapist, I'm there to understand the person in front of me, not to assume how they're feeling or thinking about something.

And just like counselling any straight, cisgendered person, LGBTQ+ clients have plenty other things going on other than that they're gay/trans etc. I'm here to learn about the whole person, not just one part of them.