lgbtq therapists in los angeles
lgbtqIA2s+ counseling in highland park for individuals, couples, & intimate relationships
At Kindman & Co. in Highland Park, we practice social-justice informed, relational psychotherapy. As part of this practice, we support and affirm LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, intimate relationships, and families towards liberation. We recognize that dominant culture has long been based on patriarchal and heteronormative values, and actively work to resist these paradigms in our practice. Our therapists use an intersectional and feminist approach to make space for the effects of historic and ongoing systemic oppression on LGBTQIA+ folks. We also take our roles as allies and advocates seriously, and hold this political stance with all our clients, regardless of their identity or the identity of the therapist. If you’re interested in therapy with our team, or would like to learn more about our social-justice-informed approach, we’d love to hear from you. Keep reading to hear more about what we’re considering when supporting LGBTQIA+ folks.
stress in the LGBTQIA+ community
Living can be stressful. At Kindman & Co., we hold a continual awareness that the more marginalized identities an individual holds (gender, race, class, sexuality, weight, ability, immigration status, etc.), the more this daily stress is amplified by systemic oppression. We’re also aware that systemic oppression of marginalized folks means that therapeutic care is less accessible, too. Every year, The American Psychological Association conducts a Stress in America Study, and these annual reports regularly indicate that members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community are experiencing significantly more stress than others. The 2019 study showed that only 62% of LGBTQIA+ individuals felt hopeful for the future compared with 75% of those who do not identify as members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. We know that heteronormative culture can feel unaccepting at best and oppressive at worst for LGBTQIA+ folks, and we are actively working to dispel the dominant culture and its narratives within our practice.
In our therapeutic work with LGBTQIA+ individuals and families, we collaborate with our clients, and make space to examine and understand the ways in which systemic oppression may be impacting their mental health and wellness. We honor complexity, authenticity, and exploration. If you’re dealing with unmanageable stress or anxiety, and you’re looking for space to process, cope, or just show up—we can help.
identity & authenticity
Identity is a common focus of therapeutic work. Identity as a concept is intersectional, complex, and fluid. Who we are, who others perceive us to be, and who we want to become are often central questions for many who seek therapy. When our identities are not recognized, valued, and celebrated—by our families, partners, and society—the internalized messages of wrongness or not being enough can burrow deep into our minds and bodies.
For our LGBTQIA+ clients, questions around identity become even more important, as the trauma of discrimination, non-recognition, and non-acceptance is ongoing and multivalent. This complex trauma can motivate folx to self-defensively suppress aspects of their identity, relationships, or sexuality. It can manifest as feelings of isolation, loneliness, or shame. Trauma and self-protective identity suppression can lead to other mental health symptoms, like anxiety and depression.
In our work, we honor these emotions and the resilience of our clients. We interpret mental health symptoms not as personal failings, but evidence of an invalidating, toxic environment. We recognize, value, and celebrate all of our clients’ intersectional identities, and work to support authenticity, identity development, and exploration.
“...having a mental healthcare provider who understands our identities and experiences, the systemic barriers we face, and how our existence is indeed resistance, well, as trans and queer people this can be literally lifesaving.”
— Dr. Alex Iantaffi
working with kindman & co.
We know that LGBTQIA+ individuals face a lot of challenges, and that they so often meet systemic oppression with strength, resistance, community, and resilience. We want to support this work with accessible, social justice-informed therapy. Our therapists have experience working with LGBTQIA+ individuals, relationships, and families, and affirm all identities, genders, intimate relationships, and sexualities. At Kindman & Co., we practice preemptive radical inclusion, starting all therapeutic relationships from a place of openness, compassion, and acceptance. We’re excited to get to know you, and ready to hold space for you—exactly as you are.
let's begin.
You are not in this alone. You were never meant to be. Each and every one of us innately possesses strengths to live more enriching, joyful lives; let us help you to (re) connect to your strengths to find well-being.
