Gay and Lesbian relationship and couples counseling:
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?
Gay and Lesbian/LGBT Couples Counseling and Relationship Therapy
Gay and Lesbian/LGBT couples have the same vision of a mutually supportive, romantic, and emotionally intimate relationship as straight couples. However, because of external or internalized homophobia, LGBT persons may struggle with additional hurdles in forming healthy relationships:
- 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.
Example of Gay couples counseling in my Denver, Colorado, mental health practice:
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.
GLOW Counseling and Denver Sex Therapy offer sex therapy, counseling, and psycho-sexual education on a large range of sexuality and intimacy issues:
Body image
Dealing with sexless relationship
Depression treatment
Disability and sex
Erectile dysfunction
HIV-AIDS and STD’s
Impotence
Infidelity and affairs
Low desire or libido differences
Maintaining healthy sexuality in relationships
Men’s issues
Overcoming childhood sexual abuse
Performance anxiety
Polyamory
Porn (cybersex) addiction
Sexual addictions
Sexual disorders
Sexuality and aging
Transgender issues
Women’s issues
