LGBTIQ+
While mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm and substance abuse can affect anyone at any point in their life, they’re more common among the LGBTIQ+ community.
Although mental health conditions such as these are not caused by being LGBTIQ+, the issues people face because of how they define their gender or sexuality can have an impact on their mental health, issues such as discrimination, rejection, social isolation, difficulties coming out, transphobia and homophobia.
If you’re worried about your mental health, it’s important to know that there is a lot of support available out there and both counselling and therapy can prove particularly beneficial, helping you through the difficulties you’re currently facing.
Counselling can help you work through any thoughts and feelings you may have surrounding psychological and emotional difficulties, helping you to gain a deeper understanding of your identity within the context of sexual orientation, helping you to accept yourself more fully and giving you all the tools and coping strategies you’ll need for the future.
Negative thought patterns, self-talk and behaviours can really undermine your confidence and self-esteem, leading to issues like depression and anxiety. Therapy helps you address these negative thoughts and behaviours, giving you a clearer path to identify new ways of thinking so you’re better equipped to cope, no matter what life throws in your path.
It’s important not to suffer in silence, so make sure you reach out for help as soon as you feel that you need to. There is no problem too big or too small and therapy can be beneficial regardless of what’s going on.
If you’re feeling fatigued or lacking in energy, are shutting yourself away, turning to substances to cope with feelings and emotions, no longer want to participate in activities you would usually enjoy or if you’re having thoughts about self-harm or suicide, seeing a therapist can make a significant difference.
If you’re interested in finding out about any of the counselling services that I provide and how they could potentially be of help, get in touch with me today to discuss your current circumstances and see what can be done.