• Are you coming out later in life and wondering how to proceed?

• Are you dealing with a Gay relationship of disparate age, race, religion, or culture?

• Are you suffering through a breakup, relationship loss, or infidelity?

• Are you in a mixed-orientation marriage or going through a divorce?

• Are you seeking emotional and sexual intimacy in your Gay relationship?

• Sense of self or relationship as worthless or destined to fail.

• Lack of social connectedness or family support.

• Vulnerability to addiction and depression.

• Dealing with legal, religious, or employment discrimination.

• Lack of alternative ways to view gender roles.

• Lack of relationship role models or relational templates.

• Lack of opportunities to socialize with other gays/lesbians couples.

• Sexuality and HIV-related issues.

• Disparities in age, race, power, and cultural background.

• Unequal marriage and civil rights

In my psychotherapy practice I see Gay and lesbian couples in various stages of relationship development.

There are many valid models for Gay relationships and families that must be affirmed. For example, I'm currently working with a gay male couple consisting of a recently out, divorced, older, professional white man, with a daughter still living at home, and a younger African American student, who has been out for many years and who has never been a parent. This is not an uncommon phenomenon in gay relationship formation, with men or women of very different economic, ethnic, age, and cultural perspectives establishing and maintaining long term relationships.

Although some degree of difference between partners may be important for solidifying intimate relationships, homosexual relationships with disparate life and cultural experiences may be vulnerable to misunderstandings, conflicts, and miscommunication. With this couple it was very important to address the issue of power and position in the relationship, to uncover the different needs and insecurities, and to affirm and bring understanding to the different styles and perspectives that energize the relationship.

Click here for more on Gay affirming psychotherapy in my Denver mental health practice.

Click here for more information on Gay relationships in my Denver couples therapy practice.

Click here for an example of infidelity therapy in my Denver, Colorado, marriage counseling practice.

Click here for more on Couple's Communication skills in my Denver marriage counseling practice.

Click here for more on Polyamory in my Denver sex therapy practice.