Traumatic Shame in Living with HIV Over the past 2 decades, there have been tremendous advancements in the treatment of HIV. Despite this, there is still a lot of shame that people live with when they have HIV. HIV is associated with illness and even something as silly as “sexual
Therapy for Lesbian Couples: Challenges That Often Get Ignored Whether you are in a heterosexual or same-sex relationship, every couple experiences joys and struggles. Every relationship starts with the nerves of a first date, grows into a partnership, and reaches various milestones along the way. Although both heterosexual and same-sex
How Thinking Systemically Can Help LGBT Families Have you ever heard of systemic therapy? Do you know what thinking systemically entails? Have you ever given any thought to how many systems exist in one family? If you have never heard of these concepts, it is completely fine (I had never
Heteronormativity: What It Is and How It Affects You As both an affirmative and a systemic therapist, I hold a high value in not assuming any of my clients’ personal struggles with family, relationships, or individual issues such as depression, anxiety, grief, or loss. This means that I do not
6 New Years Resolution Ideas for Authenticity, Romance, and Sexual Satisfaction Updated December 29th, 2017 It’s that time of year again. New Years resolutions are likely to be a center of focus again. Although New Years resolutions usually reflect goals surrounding diet, fitness, and career, you can set goals for
Bisexual and Straight? Another Type of Mixed Orientation Marriage When we talk about mixed orientation marriages, we most often think about gay/straight marriages. The difference in sexual orientation can cause obvious problems for both people involved. However, when someone recognizes that they are bisexual, we make the mistake of taking
The Benefits of LGBT Affirmative Therapy LGBT affirmative therapy may have been something that you’ve heard of. But what exactly does this mean? Here, Phillip McCulley talks about his perspectives on LGBT therapy, and how this can help. Phillip also discusses how affirming therapy can offer support. Hi, I’m Philip
LGBT Progress… and Barriers This month of LGBT pride month. Although the LGBT community has much to be proud of, there are still many barriers that impact the community. Coming out is still difficult and shaming for many people. Families continue to struggle with acceptance. And the community continues to
Why You Should Avoid Reparative Therapy For people who are coming to accept that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, there can be a lot of fear. One of the biggest things that you might fear is being rejected by others in your life. This can make this part
Being a Straight Spouse in a Mixed Orientation Marriage If you’re in a relationship where you’ve found out that your partner is gay or lesbian, this can be an extremely challenging time. The feelings that you have can range from wanting to be accepting, to totally being caught off-guard, to