June 25

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Gay Affirmative Psychotherapy

Posted by on June 25, 2013 in Clinical Topics | Leave a comment

A high priority for many gay men is to find a psychologist who knows and understands your world. Psychotherapy works best when you feel free to talk about everything. I’m committed to ensuring you’ll have an accepting and understanding experience so you can feel comfortable bringing your whole self into therapy.

Gay affirmative therapy takes the perspective that gay and straight people are absolute equals, but the world is not organized to recognize that fact. Growing up in a homophobic world is traumatic and invalidating in both overt and subtle ways. Taking in homophobic attitudes from family, school, and the world at large can have a negative impact on personal growth and development. The aftermath may include low self-esteem, social anxiety, depression, and difficulty with trust.

Psychotherapy aims at healing from the aftermath of homophobia. Our work together may help you unravel what’s often a complex mix of influences holding you back: negative relationship patterns you learned growing up, homophobic attitudes you encountered that still exert an invisible influence on your feelings about yourself, and a lack of role models for committed gay relationships in society. For more on my approach to specific mental health concerns for gay men, see clinical topics.

If you’ve tried therapy before and found that your therapist lacked a full appreciation of your experience, I encourage you to contact me.

Getting Started

I am a licensed psychologist practicing in the Chelsea/Flatiron area. I invite you to explore my website to gain a sense of my mindset and approach, as well as frequently asked questions about pragmatic issues such as fees, insurance, and scheduling. If you think that I may match your needs, feel free to contact me with any questions or to schedule an initial consultation.

Pride 2013

ChelseaTherapy is the microsite for the gay affirmative psychotherapy specialty area of my practice. In recognition of this year’s Pride, I’ll be posting additional content on specific mental health issues for gay men, including:

Select the Follow dialog at lower right to subscribe for updates on topics like these.

For more information, visit drgeoffreysteinberg.com