#transgender therapist near me

[zimtherapy]

Understanding the Importance of LGBT Therapy in Minnesota and Where to Find It

Are you a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Minnesota looking for therapy? It can be challenging to find a therapist who understands your unique experiences and challenges. That's where LGBT therapy comes in – it provides a safe space for individuals to explore their identities, work through trauma, and develop coping strategies. In this blog post, we'll dive into the importance of LGBT therapy and where you can find it in Minnesota. So, get ready to learn more about how this form of therapy can positively impact your life!

What is LGBT Therapy?

LGBT therapy, also known as queer therapy or LGBTQ+ affirmative therapy, is a form of counseling that specifically focuses on the needs and experiences of individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning. This type of therapy aims to provide a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore their identities and feelings without fear of judgment or discrimination. LGBT therapists are trained to understand the unique challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community. They're knowledgeable about issues such as coming out, family acceptance/rejection, gender dysphoria, discrimination and more. Moreover they emphasize with their client's experience in the society which is still learning to accept them. One critical aspect of LGBT therapy is its focus on affirming clients' identities rather than trying to change them. Therapists work collaboratively with their clients to develop coping skills that allow them to navigate difficult situations while staying true to themselves. LGBT therapy plays an essential role in supporting mental health within the LGBTQ+ community. By providing a space for individuals to process their emotions and experiences safely , it allows people from diverse backgrounds with different lived-experiences who have been marginalized because of social norms around identity expression find support for leading fulfilling lives while being true selves.

The Importance of LGBT Therapy

LGBT therapy is important because it provides a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to openly and honestly discuss their unique experiences. Many individuals within the community face discrimination, stigma, and marginalization on a daily basis, which can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. By seeking out an LGBT therapist, individuals are able to receive specialized support from someone who understands their experiences on a personal level. This can be incredibly validating and empowering, helping them navigate difficult emotions and challenges related to their identity. Additionally, LGBT therapy can help individuals develop healthy coping mechanisms that address specific concerns related to sexuality or gender identity. It offers a place where people can explore different aspects of themselves without fear of judgment or rejection. LGBT therapy plays a crucial role in promoting mental health within the LGBTQ+ community by providing targeted support that is tailored towards their unique needs.

Where to Find LGBT Therapy in Minnesota

Finding the right therapist who understands and can support you with your specific needs as an LGBTQ+ individual is essential. Fortunately, there are many resources available in Minnesota to help you find a therapist who specializes in LGBT therapy. One of the best places to start looking for an LGBT therapist is through advocacy organizations such as OutFront Minnesota or Rainbow Health Initiative. These organizations provide directories of therapists that specialize in working with LGBTQ individuals. Another great resource is Psychology Today's directory, which allows you to narrow down your search by location, insurance provider, and area of focus. Many therapists on this directory also offer virtual appointments if distance or accessibility is an issue. If cost is a concern, check with local community centers and clinics like The Aliveness Project or Family Tree Clinic, which often have sliding scale fees based on income. It's important to take the time to research and ask questions when searching for an LGBT therapist. Remember that finding the right fit might take some trial and error but ultimately can make all the difference in your mental health journey.

Conclusion

LGBT therapy is an essential aspect of mental health for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. It provides a safe space where people can openly discuss their experiences and emotions without fear of judgment. With the right therapist, patients can work through issues related to sexuality, gender identity, relationships, and more. Thankfully in Minnesota, there are many resources available for those seeking LGBTQ+ therapy. From individual counseling to support groups and community centers focused on specific identities or concerns - anyone looking for help should be able to find a suitable provider. No one should ever feel ashamed or alone in their journey towards acceptance and self-discovery. So if you're struggling with any aspect of your LGBTQ+ identity or simply need someone to talk to about your experiences - don't hesitate to seek out the help that's available!

[cashandprizes]

The Boring CBT Final for the Fun CBT King - By Lexi Moon aka CashAndPrizes

Okay! People asked and I fought tumblr to deliver!

Hi, I'm CashAndPrizes also known as Lexi Moon, and I am a doctoral student studying clinical psychology. I wrote about Redacted (specifically Lasko) for my final for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. Here's the paper.

Shout out to my beloved friends in the WhoreHome and W.A.R. for keeping me going through this paper. I love you dearly.

Words of warning:

I am a clinician in training. I am still being supervised. I have not been graded on this final yet. (I'll update when I get it!) And I am definitely not an expert. Take everything here with a grain of salt.

I am not a licensed therapist but even if I was I am not your therapist. I'm play acting as Lasko's therapist for a class. Take everything here with a grain of salt. If you read any of this and think "It's a bit loud in here" do not assume this is absolutely you. If you have the means, please try finding your own mental health professionals and if you don't, please do a lot of research on these subjects. Don't use this as a diagnosis please, I'm just a guy.

I filled in a lot of Lasko's backstory based on my experiences with patients and my beloved Lasko kinnies who were instrumental to the writing of this paper. (I won't tag you and call you out, but you know who you are an I love you.) Your headcanons might be different - that's cool. I'm not claiming canon over most of this - but I did use the transcripts and timeline very heavily.

If you don't like the idea of pansexual, transgender, Indo-Caribbean/Trinidadian child of immigrants Lasko - pookie this might not be for you. If that sounds like your jam though - come on in, the water's fine.

Without further ado. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mambo Number Five. Here's Lasky. I can, in fact, fix him.

Case Summary

This case conceptualization addresses the hypothetical course of treatment for Lasko Moore, a character in a modern-fantasy audio narrative. Lasko Moore presented to treatment as a 30-year-old pansexual and transgender Indo-Caribbean man working as an administrator and adjunct professor at Dahlia Academy for Magical Novices for persistent anxiety symptoms. Upon intake, Lasko reported experiencing near constant racing thoughts that he was unable to “turn off”, panic attacks, and increased anxiety about social interactions at his work. He described spending a significant amount of mental energy preparing for and reviewing social interactions with colleagues such that he often avoids his colleagues in an effort to minimize his anxiety. Lasko reported that the anticipation around coworker interactions (meetings, socials, etc.) becomes quickly overwhelming as he becomes preoccupied with what he will say and do in an effort to try and minimize his tendency to become hyperverbal and overshare information as well as stuttering. He described this process as starting with embarrassment over previous interactions which leads to critical thoughts like “I shouldn’t be so anxious” which leads to rehearsal of potential outcomes of interactions. However, in the moment of social interactions he becomes so anxious as there “aren’t any objectives [or] any specific roles” to the conversations that he “word vomits” and becomes tangential and overshares until he runs out of breath and stops himself from talking due to his own critical thoughts and begins to isolate himself. 

Lasko was initially diagnosed with Panic Disorder (F41.0) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1) to capture his persistent anxious state with occasional intense bouts of extreme anxiety and panic. An initial long-term goal was collaboratively set as improving his coping strategies and tolerance of anxious affect to better network and create relationships. As this was Lasko’s first time utilizing mental health services, treatment began with inhibitory learning in combination with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in order to facilitate willingness to experience interoceptive cues and extinguish avoidance due to fear of negative consequences. This was able to reduce his panic attacks as he felt more able to tolerate overwhelming anxious affect. Despite his clear engagement with treatment through attendance, homework, and skills practice, Lasko continued to struggle with critical thoughts and avoidance of coworkers which he identified as a major barrier to his continued professional development and potential non-academic relationships. Through collaborative exploration, a persistent early maladaptive schema relating to his critical thoughts emerged and treatment shifted to a goal of starting dialogue between schema modes to facilitate the use of coping strategies to build interpersonal effectiveness. Lasko was born as the human-born child of Trinidadian immigrants who moved the southern California in the early 1990s due to political unrest. From an early age Lasko faced high academic expectations from his parents who desired upward mobility for their child and a “piece of the American Dream.” His mother was emotionally labile to the point of explosive outbursts where his father was more passive and spent significant energy working and caring for his wife. This experience started Lasko’s early maladaptive schema regarding rigid standards with no support, which only became worse when Lasko’s elemental powers began developing at thirteen and his parents expected perfect control (and perfect suppression) of his powers with no training and a highly critical environment. This led to Lasko isolating himself at home as much as possible to hide his lack of control but left him with an environment that created a positive feedback loop where his lack of control led to increased yelling and criticism which led to worsening outbursts of his powers. This culminated in a final traumatic event when Lasko was seventeen and lost control of his powers, leading to his mother “calling [him] everything she could think of […] she was so loud and I just wanted her to stop” to the point that Lasko accidentally sucked all of the air out of the room and almost suffocated his mother. Though Lasko was able to find support with the Department of Uniform Magical Practices and become emancipated from his parents, these experiences developed a maladaptive pattern of hypercritical thinking about himself, especially in the context of social relationships.

Research

Avelino Cardoso et al. (2023) pose potential ways to modify and apply Schema Therapy to sexual and gender minorities. This work focuses on understanding how of harmful implicit and explicit messages about gender and sexuality contribute to early maladaptive schemas based on consideration of the minority stress model, and how Schema Therapy interventions can be applied to sexual and gender minorities. One area of particular relevance from this article is the conceptualization of an inner critic mode that specifically represents stereotypes and prejudice that are naturalized by society. When applying these principles to the case of Lasko, the environment of his childhood can be understood as an essential aspect of the treatment. Though Lasko did not present to treatment looking to discuss the impact of his pansexuality and transgender identity, potentially because of the clinician’s own advertised identities, the impacts of systemic oppression against sexual and gender minorities can be woven into treatment for his hypercritical early maladaptive schema. Based on the suggestions of Avelino Cardoso et al. (2023), it may be worth examining his secondary schemas around shame and social isolation as also being shaped by his experience as a gender and sexual minority and how that may contribute to his predominant hypercritical schema. 

A major concern for this section of the paper is the lack of research modifying second and third wave cognitive behavioral therapies for sexual and gender minorities. Results for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with LGBTQ+ individuals only revealed one article about group therapy and a study proposal; results for Schema Therapy with LGBTQ+ individuals only provided Avelino Cardoso et al.’s (2023) theoretical essay. There does not appear to be much research and what research exists is extremely limited with no randomized control trials. This makes it clear that evaluating the efficacy of treatment for sexual and gender minorities is not a priority, which leads to a major critique of Avelino Cardoso et al.’s work. Though the article is useful for considering how to address systemic change in the room, it seems to attribute lived experiences of sexual and gender minorities to a schema rather than ongoing threats in a world where hate crimes and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals is on the rise. The abandonment and violence that these individuals may face is not imagined and it can be seen in the lack of interest in research.

ADDRESSING Model

When considering the case of Lasko, it is important to remember that psychology does not develop in the vacuum of individual experiences – psychology develops based on the global environment, which includes the social, political, economic, and cultural contexts as well as individual context. Utilizing Hays (2022) ADDRESSING Model, the impact of Lasko’s intersecting identities can be understood to have a major impact on his current symptom presentation and the development of early maladaptive schemas and schema modes. Lasko was born to first generation immigrants from Trinidad with strong Indo-Caribbean and Catholic roots – and he was assigned female sex at birth. Using a systems-focused lens, Lasko’s current symptoms can also be understood within the larger context of living in a world where several aspects of his identity are under intense scrutiny and political debate. As a child of immigrants and as someone Indo-Caribbean, Lasko likely faced explicit and implicit messages about his intellectual capabilities, his body, and his work ethic. While Lasko directly experienced his mother as extremely critical and never satisfied with his performance, it is just as likely that he received messages as a child about needing to work harder than many of his same aged peers for equal amounts of recognition based on his racial, ethnic, and sex assigned at birth. There is also the element of the disconnect between his sex assigned at birth and his gender presentation, and the messages he received about being transgender from his Catholic, Trinidadian immigrant parents as well as the American culture – which were likely discouraging at best and hostile at worst. 

Keeping all of this in mind, Lasko’s hypercritical, social isolated, and emotional deprived schemas can be understood as also being a direct result of the intersection of his identities – and this does not even cover the added layer of being an empowered human-born. In a variety of ways, Lasko has had very different experiences than his peers by virtue of being a transgender, pansexual, child of unempowered human immigrants. When Lasko describes feeling different from the people around him growing up and when he entered the empowered world, this is a real experience based on the multiple identity intersections – it is not hard to believe that he did not have many friends or family members between the late 1990s and late 2000s that had similar experiences to him. This left him with the acute sense that he was fundamentally different and needed to work much harder than those around him, and also that to get validation he needed to sacrifice his needs (or identities) for those of others.

Methodology

The initial treatment approach for Lasko was a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and inhibitory learning with interoceptive and in vivo exposure, which was successful in decreasing his panic symptoms but not generalized anxiety symptoms. Lasko reported that he experienced sudden panic attacks that seemed random and included symptoms such as accelerated heart rate, tightness in his chest, hyperventilation, feeling that he would lose control, sweaty palms, and loss of control over his magic. At the time of treatment, he reported that he had been having at least one panic attack every other month since he was a teenager and that they would occur more frequently when he was in periods of intense stress. After exploration, Lasko was able to determine that he often had panic attacks related when he spends time ruminating in anticipation of social interactions. Lasko explained that during panic attacks he tends to seek quiet, dark places to hide and “ride out” the panic attack and that he has thoughts like “I’m going to mess this up” or “I can’t do this.” 

Treatment started with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and inhibitory learning as an evidence-based approach for treating panic attacks and generalized anxiety to address his symptoms and reduce further panic attacks as well as his anxious thought patterns (Barlow, 2021; Ruiz et al, 2020). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic practice that focuses on improving psychological flexibility and understanding the function of behavioral patterns (Gordon & Borushok, 2017). Much of early treatment with Lasko consisted of psychoeducation around the therapeutic process, behavioral therapy, and mindfulness. He took easily to ACT and benefited from understanding how avoiding social interactions was negatively reinforced by decreasing his anxiety while keeping him from creating connection. Inhibitory learning through multiple types of exposure (in-vivo and interoceptive) was able to make him more comfortable with feeling panicked, effectively reducing his panic attacks (Ramnero & Törneke, 2008). However, his baseline anxious affect and negative thoughts did not ease despite the use of ACT, so treatment shifted towards understanding the function of his persistent negative thoughts through Schema Therapy.

Lasko’s symptom presentation after several sessions of ACT and inhibitory learning was a persistent anxious affect and worry (especially around social situations) that felt uncontrollable and critical ruminative thoughts. As it seemed treatment had plateaued, the content of sessions moved towards a deeper understanding of his critical thoughts based on an indication of deeply held early maladaptive schemas. Barlow defines early maladaptive schemas as persistent behavioral, cognitive, and relational themes developed in early childhood that are reinforced throughout lifetime and that cause significant disruption and dysfunction (2021). Schemas are often viewed as truths about the self and others and are difficult to challenge because of the deep affective component and lifetime of reinforcement (Barlow, 2021). Movement towards schema work started with psychoeducation which involved discussing how schemas are reinforced through modeling (in this case by his mother’s critical comments about his performance) and how people can often act in ways that reconfirm schemas into adulthood. Lasko then completed the Young Schema Questionnaire - Revised and received high scores on schemas related to emotional deprivation, social isolation, and unrelenting standards (Rijkeboer, 2015). During the debriefing and explanation of the results, Lasko reported that when he was completing the questionnaire he felt “really seen” in a way that was uncomfortable but also validating to his experiences in childhood and as a queer person of color living in America.

The topic of sessions then moved towards further psychoeducation about the process of schema work, including delving into his schemas and determining schema modes with the goal of improving his understanding of schemas and working towards healthier integration of modes and coping strategies (Barlow, 2021). Lasko was committed to treatment but apprehensive about “what would come up,” speaking to his concerns about dredging up uncomfortable memories and feelings. In response, he was encouraged to revisit his understanding of ACT and his core values as a reminder of why he wanted to continue treatment and work through feelings of discomfort and grief. The next session started proper schema work, starting with Lasko explaining his understanding of schemas and how they were currently impacting him. He aptly summarized that his childhood experience of feeling intense pressure to do well academically and conform to socially and religiously defined gender roles left him feeling isolated from his peers and that he always needed to work harder and do more, while also feeling as though he had no support or anyone who truly understood him – this led to the development of schemas related to emotional unrelenting standards, social isolation, and emotional deprivation. 

The first step of schema work was to identify schema modes as recommended by Barlow (2021). Lasko completed the Young Schema Mode Inventory (YSMI) as homework (along with his regular thought and feeling records) and scored highly in the following modes: vulnerable child, compliant surrenderer, detached self-soother, punitive parent, and demanding parent (Lobbestael, 2015). With this in mind, the next session started with reviewing his thought and emotion records as a baseline for identifying schema modes. Lasko was able to sort different thoughts and feelings into categories that broadly resembled the categories for child modes, coping modes, and parent modes, but he struggled to come up with names for them. He eventually decided on “Young Lasko” to describe his vulnerable child mode, “The Doormat” to describe his compliant surrenderer mode, and “The Critic” to describe his punitive and demanding parent modes with suggestions from the therapist based on his results on the YSMI. Lasko was overwhelmed with sadness and fear during this session, describing how hard it was to name and admit these schemas out loud and how scared and vulnerable he felt. He reported a heavy weight on his chest and how badly he wanted to hide from the therapist and his own internal experience, and his wavering control over his powers was evident by the rustling of papers in the room. The second half of the session was dedicated to using ACT and mindfulness techniques to sit with the almost intolerable affect without judgement. The session closed with a discussion of how he could focus on his value of self-care after the session and he decided that he had plans to meet with his friend group the next day and try to talk with them about his feelings as a form of self-care and confirming his acceptance in his friend group. 

The following session he reported that his conversation with his friend group had gone “really well, better than [he] expected” and the session started by discussing how this did not conform to his expectations as a way to integrate the initial phase of inhibitory learning into the present. The conversation then moved to re-introducing the names for his schema modes and utilizing a combination of mindfulness skills and reaffirmation of his core values to give a voice to those modes and their needs by recommendation of Barlow (2021). Lasko explored that “Little Lasko” felt “awful, awful all the time” and was a sad little boy trapped in a girl’s body who “[held] onto all the bad stuff” including feelings of being completely isolated from others and deep sadness. Lasko further explored that “The Doormat” was a representation of how he had worked so hard in school and at home to make everyone else happy and that by avoiding his own needs and wants (for self-expression, acceptance, nurturance, joy, etc.) he thought he would get his needs met. At this point in treatment, discussing “The Critic” was still too affectively laden so discussion started with the first two with the goal of working up to “The Critic.” Based on guidelines from Barlow (2021), the next few sessions focused on identifying the ways these schemas had developed within his childhood and how they had once been adaptive and essential for his survival. Lasko’s homework between these sessions was to read handouts given by the therapist about schema modes and the ways they are internalized throughout childhood. Lasko was also willing to try journaling once a week from the perspective of either “Little Lasko” or “The Doormat” to better understand how integral they had been to his survival. 

Session Description

This transcript describes the first part of the schema work, where Lasko began to identify and label schemas with prompting from the therapist. Rather than just using the terms from the YSMI, Lasko was encouraged to create his own meaning to better represent his own understanding of the schema modes based on evidence-based methods from Barlow (2021). The goal of this session was to help Lasko observe the schema modes based on his thought and feeling record from the previous week and start thinking of the modes as parts of him that were observable separate from himself.

Therapist: You’ve summed up schemas and how they work, and I don’t even have anything else to add. Lasko: I really, um, want to make sure you know I’m serious about this. I want to get better, I want to be better. Therapist: It feels like it’s really important for you to feel like I know how hard you’re working right now. Lasko: Yeah, well… Yeah, I don’t want you to think I’m not doing the work. Therapist: It’s interesting because you’re the one paying for sessions, you know? While I’m glad that we are working together towards your goals, what you get out of this is really up to you. Can we talk more about how you want to make sure I know you’re working hard? I think that’s really tied to this whole schema thing I’m trying to sell you on. Lasko: I’m already sold on it!  Therapist: [Hm] Lasko: … That’s… that’s what you mean, isn’t it? Therapist: [Affirmative hm] Lasko: Fuck – sorry – shit! I um… I feel like I need to prove to you that I’m listening and trying really hard. Therapist: What will happen if I think you aren’t trying? Lasko: Well, you won’t take me seriously – at all. You’ll think I’m wasting your time and that I should – I need to be doing more and taking it seriously. Therapist: And how would I be feeling with you? Lasko: Angry, because I’m wasting your time – but I’m not, or I don’t want to. I don’t want to waste your time, you have so many other patients you could be seeing and if I’m not doing what I should be doing then I’m just- I’m taking up space someone else could be using and they probably need it more than me. I mean, I’m fine you know, I’m anxious but I can survive, right? There’re people out there who need your time more than me and I’m wasting it – or I would be. I’m not – I don’t think I’m wasting your time right now except I keep rambling. Therapist: There’s a through-line in there that I want to pull. You feel like you need to do what I expect you to do, right? Lasko: Yeah, I mean you’re the therapist. You’re the expert with – all the experience and degrees. So yeah, I should be doing what you expect. Therapist: It sounds like there’s some part of you that feels like you need to be doing what I say you should do, even if you don’t want to or have something else to say – like your “rambling” – and that if you don’t, you’re wasting my time. Does that feel right?

Lasko: I want to do this, I do. But um, yeah. That feels right. Therapist: And you do what I say you should do because if you don’t…? Lasko: Well I’m wasting your time. And then you’ll – I mean you probably won’t, you’re a really nice person and you’re so helpful but I just… I have this thought that you’ll get mad at me. Therapist: I would be mad at you. What would I do if I was mad at you? Lasko: You would um… Well I know you wouldn’t, because you just – you’re not like that but like my mom would start screaming at me. She would just… she would just yell and tell me that I was wasting their money because I wasn’t doing well enough at the school they paid for me to go to you know? Or I messed up the nice clothes they paid for. Or I just – anything like that really, I was wasting money and time and I was a waste of space and… Fuck – sorry – wait, um. This is hard to talk about and I don’t want to cry. Therapist: This is really hard, I’m really putting you through it already today, aren’t I? Lasko: [Affirmative hm] Therapist: I want to take what you just said and kind of summarize, kind of explain, is that okay? So, it sounds like you have these thoughts that you aren’t trying hard enough – or at least that I don’t think you’re trying hard enough, right? And these thoughts serve to make sure that you show me how hard you’re working so that I believe you, because if I don’t, I might think you’re wasting my time and become angry and yell at you.  Lasko: That’s a really succinct way to put it, but yeah. Therapist: So what I think is happening here, is that there’s a part of you that is so terrified that I will become angry and yell at you and make you feel just awful about yourself. And to deal with that, there’s another part of you that works really hard to try and anticipate and meet my needs so I won’t become angry with you. And then there’s also this third part of you, this part that is so critical and reminds you of how scary I could become if I got angry with you and kind of beats me to the punch by being mean first. And all three of these parts were working together in those last few minutes. Lasko: Wow… yeah, that um… you hit the nail right on the head. That feels right. It’s not – um, it’s not really great for me, though. Therapist: What I’d like to do is start by giving a voice to these parts of you, just letting them speak. Do you think we could do that? Lasko: That… That sounds really awful. But, yeah we can… we can do that. Therapist: And here I am, asking you to do these terrible things you don’t want to do and you’re doing them with me anyway.  Lasko: That’s the um.. that part of me that tries to meet your needs, right? That’s what you said? Therapist: I think so. I really want to hear more from that part of you.

At this point in the transcript, the therapist was using a combination of techniques to try and get closer to the schemas that were indicated in Lasko’s dialogue. There was a mix of rephrasing/restating what Lasko had said with the dual purpose of making sure the therapist understood and phrasing things in a way that would lead to more dialogue about schemas. The therapist in this section also started outlining the core schema modes operating at the moment in broad terms to gauge Lasko’s ability to tolerate and explore them further with the intention of eventually moving towards labeling schema modes. In this section, it is becoming clear that Lasko’s persistent anxiety about the therapy (proving he is engaged enough) is a result of active schema modes that attempt to anticipate and meet the therapist’s needs to prevent criticism and anger on the part of the therapist. This insight from the conversation can be broadened to potentially explain the utility of Lasko’s critical thoughts and anxiety around social interactions – he spends so much time preparing and planning for these interactions to try and anticipate and meet the needs of others to prevent criticism and anger from his peers, the mere idea of which causes deep feelings of fear and sadness, by criticizing himself first.

Therapist: I think so. I really want to hear more from that part of you. Lasko: I mean – geez, what should I say? Therapist: Maybe we could start with what that feels like…? Lasko: It feels like I’m always guessing, trying to figure it out. I feel like I have to do everything right, try harder, do more…I feel like I always need to be doing more, doing it better. Therapist: What emotions does this part of you have? Lasko: Um, I don’t – I don’t know.  Therapist: Do you think I should bring out your old friend the feelings wheel? Lasko: Yeah that might – might help. You know how much I love the wheel. Yeah – um, I guess I feel… inadequate? Maybe… Therapist: Can I suggest something that I’m sensing in you? Lasko: Please, you’re way better at this than me. Therapist: I’m wondering if this part of you feels desperate. Lasko: Yes, desperate. Therapist: Desperate… it feels like there’s more to that. Desperate for what, do you think? Lasko: Desperate… desperate to please – desperate to get it right. Therapist: Wow… desperate to please feels really powerful. I see you rubbing your chest right now, what are you feeling? Lasko: It’s like… my chest feels tight – a little like when I have panic attacks. Therapist: That connection feels really important. What do you make of that? Lasko: I feel – I’ve felt desperate when I’ve had panic attacks before. Like desperate for air, which is just – it’s funny as an air elemental you know, well not funny-funny, but it’s just – anyway, it’s like desperate for air but it’s also like I’m desperate for… I don’t know how to phrase it…? For it to stop, yeah, but also like I… I want to do things right when I talk to people but I always fuck it up – sorry – wait, don’t apologize Lasko. Sorry, I – sorry – fuck. I just- I want to have better interactions with people! I want things to go better and to communicate better so people like me and – I don’t know. Therapist: So people like you… do you think that’s what this part of you wants? Lasko: Yes – so badly… So badly it hurts. Therapist: It hurts in your chest, right there? Lasko: Yeah… it’s tight and heavy and then I start crying because I’m just – I’m a mess. Therapist: You’re feeling so much right now, and you’re doing it because I said we should. Lasko: Well… yeah, it’s um – it sucks but you know better than me. Therapist: That seems to be a thought you have a lot, we’ve talked about it before on your thought and emotion records – and I think it’s really tied to this part of you. Lasko: I mean… maybe, yeah. Therapist: What do you think you could name this part? How do you think we could refer to it? Lasko: Like a name? What kind of name…? Therapist: It’s really up to you, I think it’ll be more helpful to use whatever you think is the best way to describe it rather than my clinical-ese jargon.  Lasko: I don’t… I don’t really know. I’m not good at this kind of thing. Can’t you – you can just name it, right? Therapist: I could, but I feel like if I name it we’re staying in this pattern where you just acquiesce to my demands. Lasko: Which is like – the whole point of this, yeah. Therapist: Exactly. What feels hard about thinking of a name? Lasko: I don’t – I don’t want to pick some stupid name that I have to use, and you’ll think “wow that was a really stupid name choice, I should have picked it.” Therapist: [Hm] Lasko: Yeah, you don’t have to say anything, I hear it. Also, I just… naming it feels so real, you know? Then it’s a real thing. Therapist: And there’s something about it being “a real thing” then? Lasko: Then I’d… I’d have to talk about – acknowledging all of it – that feels really awful. I feel like I can’t breathe right now. Therapist: I can feel the air becoming thin too. Why don’t we take a few moments and just notice how you’re feeling and breathe through it?

This section of the transcript starts to explore and move towards labeling the schema mode of the Compliant Surrenderer. This mode attempts to anticipate and meet the needs of his hypercritical Punitive and Demanding Parent mode to protect his Vulnerable Child mode, which becomes clear in the transcript as he verbalizes that this part of himself is desperate to do well (whatever that may look like) so that others will like him. Just sitting with this part of himself causes Lasko almost intolerable feelings of desperation and panic, likely due to his fear of his Punitive and Demanding Parent mode as well as a fear of criticism and rejection from the therapist.

Closing Thoughts

I really enjoyed this case and this paper. While I didn't choose a current patient, I feel that I got a lot out of this assignment. It was really interesting to think formally about a character and work through a treatment plan and focus on a specific element of treatment. I managed to pick a case where I got to implement schema therapy, which is one of the forms of CBT that I find most interesting in addition to ACT. Despite this being a fictional character, I have certainly had previous patients who have similar struggles – and I also felt that I was able to use the media (and my previous experience to fill in gaps) to make the most of this assignment for my learning.

As I was working on this case, it occurred to me that though I felt like I was able to portray this character as accurately as possible I felt like so much was missing or unaccounted for. Because I was working from a CBT rather than psychodynamic lens, I felt like there were clear points where I would have ideally worked more relationally to address resistance or spoken more about the therapeutic relationship. There are always a million different things you could pick out of a patient’s response to respond to, and it was challenging to focus more on the schemas rather than talk about the relationship. I also felt like because of the limits of this paper, I did not have enough space to talk in the methodology or transcript session about how I felt his identities played a part in the development of his schemas. In this example, it was very clear to me that Lasko’s experiences of his parents were only part of the equation as development does not exist in a vacuum – there is a reality that his identity as a pansexual, transgender, Indo-Caribbean, second-generation immigrant and his experiences of xenophobia, racism, heterosexism, and transphobia would have also impacted his feelings of isolation/difference from others and internalized pressure to present and perform well. I also think that this would have been something I discussed in subsequent sessions as I believe this is another function of his schemas – to protect and prepare himself from his experiences of a hostile, sometimes violent world.

References

Avelino Cardoso, B. L., Paim, K., Figueiredo Catelan, R., & Liebross, E. H. (2023). Minority stress and the inner critic/oppressive sociocultural schema mode among sexual and gender minorities. Current Psychology, 42(23), 19991–19999. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03086-y 

Barlow, D. H. (2021). Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: a step-by-step treatment manual. Sixth edition. New York, The Guilford Press.

Hays, P. A. (2022). Addressing Cultural Complexities in Counseling and Clinical Practice: An Intersectional Approach. Fourth edition. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Lobbestael, J. (2015). Validation of the Schema Mode Inventory. In M. van Vreeswijk, J. Broersen, & M. Nadort (Eds.), The Wiley‐Blackwell Handbook of Schema Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 541–552). Wiley-Blackwell. 

Ramnero, J., & Törneke, N. (2008). ABCs of human behavior: Behavioral principles for the practicing clinician. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger & Reno, NV: Context Press.

Rijkeboer, Marleen (2015). Validation of the Young Schema Questionnaire. In M. van Vreeswijk, J. Broersen, & M. Nadort (Eds.), The Wiley‐Blackwell Handbook of Schema Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 531-540). Wiley-Blackwell. 

Ruiz, F. J., Luciano, C., Flórez, C. L., Suárez-Falcón, J. C., & Cardona-Betancourt, V. (2020). A multiple-baseline evaluation of acceptance and commitment therapy focused on repetitive negative thinking for comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00356 

Home. (n.d.). Redacted Audio. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://redacted-audio.com/

Appendix

Character and Media Primer

Redacted Audio is an urban-fantasy audio narrative on YouTube that centers around the fictional city of Dahlia in southern California and its inhabitants (“Home”, n.d.). In this urban-fantasy world, people are separated into four categories: unempowered humans; empowered humans, which can be further broken down into elementals and energetics (people with control over the four elements, gravity, sound waves, magnetics, psychokinesis, telepathy, seers, or a jack of all trades) and shifters (e.g.: werewolves); vampires, who are turned unempowered or empowered humans that feed on blood to survive, have superhuman speed and senses, and cannot go out in the sun; and demons, beings of pure magic that are not necessarily evil or good. The character I have chosen is an empowered human who was born to unempowered human parents – a human-born – which is a rare kind of person who often faces discrimination and barriers to learning how to control their magic. Lasko is an administrator and adjunct faculty member at the Dahlia Academy of Magical Novices, which is essentially magical community college where students (of any age) can learn mastery over either their specialty or all aspects of empowered human magic. The Dahlia Academy of Magical Novices operates as a school under the larger Department of Uniform Magical Practices, which oversees magical practices, ethics, and maintains the covert status of magic. Lasko specifically has natural control over the element of air, giving him an increased lung capacity and control over air (making wind currents, taking air out of the room, making tornados, etc. – think air benders in Avatar: The Last Airbender if you are familiar), but chose to complete his full certification at The Dahlia Academy of Magical Novices to have a better understanding of all types of magic. He teaches an introductory class on magic for incoming students as a way to provide a less discriminatory experience for other human born students.

ACT Hexaflex

YSQ-R Table

YSMI Table

That's all, folks!

[gatheringbones]

[“I never felt like I was born in the wrong body,” he says, referring to the dominant medical discourse, though he hated looking in the mirror and says he “felt extreme discomfort” with the body he had. Lucas has been binding his chest for two years using a compression sports bra, always a little too tight, usually followed by a T-shirt and a man’s shirt. He does so for safety, because he sometimes goes to rural Putnam County: “very small, really Southern places,” doing HIV education. “If they knew I was queer, let alone trans, I would probably be killed, so I kind of have to keep all of that very much on the ‘down low’ when I’m doing work out in the community.” But to his co-workers he is “very, very out.” For Lucas, undergoing top surgery is an assertion of what some feminists call bodily autonomy. Pro-choice activists argue that the government has no right to tell women what to do with their body; transgender activists say that they have the right to change their body if they please.

Lucas is at the surgeon’s office with Oliver, a former boyfriend who is also a bearded trans man; and Rachel, a bisexual Latina, his “soul mate and sister.” Lucas says he has “always known” he wanted top surgery,” even before he began injecting testosterone. A few friends in Gainesville who had undergone surgery with Dr. Garramone became mentors to younger trans people in town like Lucas, directing them to friendly therapists and doctors, and helping them get letters for testosterone. Having crowdfunded the $7,000 he needed for top surgery, Lucas is giving away $500 to charity.

And then there is Nadia, a twenty-eight-year-old from St. Louis who works as an employment coach at a nonprofit agency. The odd girl out, she is having her chest masculinized, but not as part of a gender transition. As a how-to book suggests, top surgery is “not just for those transitioning from female to male” but also for others on the gender spectrum, including “gender non-conforming, gender fluid, bi-gender, butch, and so on.” Nadia feels some camaraderie with trans men undergoing top surgery and considers herself “near the trans community, but not in it.” She has short brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and olive skin, and she is wearing large horn-rimmed glasses, a men’s shirt, and hip-hugging straight-leg jeans that look baggy on her slender frame.

When Nadia was twenty-one, her breasts suddenly grew to about a 32C. “They just went boom,” she says, and she told me they felt outsized for her small frame. At certain points in her monthly cycle, when they bloomed even more, she couldn’t even bring herself to get dressed. She felt more comfortable in an androgynous style, wore men’s clothing, and hated the way her buxom bosom made her clothes fit. And she loathes having them touched. She identifies as female and has no interest in taking testosterone, but she sees her breasts as an impediment, a part of her body that does not reflect how she sees herself. Nadia’s queer circle includes trans friends with whom she shares a deep sense of alienation from standard-issue notions of femaleness. She is here with her girlfriend, Flora, an art student whom she met on OkCupid four years ago; the two were drawn together by their mutual interest in art, politics, and graphic novels.

Nadia upends conventional notions of what women should look like and how they should be. She’ll remain female, but she shares with the others here today the belief that their breasts don’t fit and that by changing their bodies they can become more comfortable in their skin and more successful in their lives.”]

arlene stein, from unbound: transgender men and the remaking of identity, 2018

[coochiequeens]

I already posted about this guy but this article goes into more detail about his fetishes

By Genevieve Gluck November 5, 2023

A trans-identified male academic who was previously criticized for stating that it “would not matter” if women were killed as a result of gender identity policies has been appointed to devise ethical guidelines for therapists. Sophie Grace Chappell, a Philosophy professor at the Open University, is now playing an integral role on the core team tasked with reworking the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s (BACP) national ethical framework, reported The Daily Mail, despite apparently lacking qualifications in psychotherapy or counselling.

News of his role prompted criticism from therapists. James Esses, co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists – an organization of clinical psychologists and psychotherapists from across the UK and Ireland “with a shared concern about the impact of gender identity ideology on children and young people,” said that Chappell should be “nowhere near devising therapeutic ethics.”

An unnamed female counsellor told The Daily Mail: “Professor Chappell is completely unsuitable to be deciding what form our ethical framework should take. I fear this person will insert gender ideology into our professional guidelines.”

Chappell first drew outrage from critics in 2021 when, during an interview for Radio Scotland, he told host Kaye Adams that it “wouldn’t matter” if gender self-identification policies led to a “slight spike” in the murders or rapes of women.

“I think we can rightly dismiss that as scare-mongering. It doesn’t matter… It wouldn’t matter if there was a slight spike in those statistics,” he said.

In the online community Mumsnet, women discussed Chappell’s comments with reactions ranging from anger to shock.

“Sophie laughed while making the point, and then rambled about human rights, seemingly forgetting women have human rights too, one of which is not to be murdered,” said one commenter.

Still others took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their outrage. Some pointed to Chappell’s habit of dressing in a style resembling a young girl.

Aspects of blouses and skirts worn by Chappell share similarities with a genre of pornography wherein men dress as and pretend to be little girls. In some cases, men practice “sissification” in public and record their interactions with others as a type of user-generated pornography.

In a 2022 article on the topic of “being transgender” and “growing up,” Chappell wrote, “Secret time spent dressed feminine was time off from public [sic] being masculine. And that was always a huge relief. Dressing masculine was a weariness to the spirit: it made me feel tired, ugly, constrained, trapped, suffocated, awkward, wrong. It still does. But dressing feminine was, simply, a delight: it brought a sense of serene, calm, happy, relaxed, floating-away euphoria that nothing else gave me, a simple and straightforward innocent childlike joy; just a sense of rightness. It still does.”

Chappell added that the future of feminism, in his view, should focus on concepts such as “live and let live,” “play nicely,” “love is all you need,” and said that he believes women should not “forbid or condemn anything at all unless you really need to.”

In June 2020, Chappell wrote an open letter in response to renowned author JK Rowling’s essay addressing her concerns regarding the gender identity movement. In it, Chappell refutes her expressed concerns on issues involving safeguarding, and advocates for sex self-identification.

“Perhaps you, Ms. Rowling, think that there’s something dark and terrible – and monstrous? – about trans women. You certainly seem to frame us as a threat,” Chappell wrote. “Trans people are one of the most discriminated-against groups in the world!”

He continued to undermine the position that allowing men to access women’s intimate spaces would result in harm. “Women of every kind should be and feel safe in the public toilets. Of course they should; everybody should. But trans women are simply not a threat to women’s safety,” Chappell admonished.

“If we google hard enough, we can find bad anecdotes about trans women attacking other women in the toilets; the tabloids go to town on such anecdotes whenever possible, and so do some trans-unsympathetic feminists. But anecdotes aren’t data.”

He then recommended that JK Rowling seek out educational materials from a trans activist organization which creates “transgender toolkits.”

Previously known as Timothy Chappell, he began claiming to identify as female in 2014 after marrying a woman and fathering four daughters.

He has also been known as Christian Sophie Grace Chappell, and served as the director of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) from 2015 to 2018.

But Chappell is not the only trans-identified male with an apparent affinity for age regression and sissification who has been associated with the BACP.

As previously revealed by Reduxx, a prominent psychologist within the Gender Identity Clinic at Tavistock has called for normalizing “age play,” “infantilism,” and “sissification.” Dr. Christina Richards, a trans-identified male and an Accredited Psychotherapist with the BACP, is responsible for a publications which seek to rebrand extreme fetishes as “further sexualities.”

In 2013, Richards co-authored a professional guide on sexuality and gender, in collaboration with Meg John Barker, a senior lecturer in psychology at the Open University. In the writing, Richards places extreme and violent sexual practices on the same spectrum as heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality.

In the guide Richards introduces age play, which involves “an adult identifying as a baby or young child, and is also known as adult baby/diaper lover (ABDL) or infantilism. There may be a sexual aspect… associated with humiliation.”

Richards goes on to describe how adults who engage in ‘age play’ accumulate various objects and apparel associated with childhood, including children’s clothing. Often one adult will roleplay as being any age from infancy to teenage years, while another adult participates in a dominant sexual role.

“Terms which may be encountered here include daddy’s little girl (DLG) in which an older male top treats a younger female bottom as a nurtured child,” Richard elaborates. “The term ‘sissification’ intersects with age play as it is where an adult male is consensually ‘forced’ to don the clothes of, and behave as, a young girl as part of a BDSM scene. The humiliation the adult male feels at being dressed as a young female is the source of the eroticisation.”

He boasts several other affiliations and titles, such as serving on the Executive Board of the European Professional Association for Transgender Health (EPATH), and as Board-Member-at-Large of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

Before becoming a board member, he was selected by the executive board of the WPATH to be Lead Chapter Author for Adult Assessment in the Standards of Care Version 8 (SoC v8) revision, the drafts of which were finalized in the fall of 2022.

In addition to his work with the Gender Identity Clinic, Richards serves as the chair of the British Psychological Society and oversaw guidelines that advise mental health professionals that it can be acceptable to refer to a client as a “slut.”

Ok speculation on my part but I found his bio

and based on his dates of birth and marriage he likely came out as trans when at least some of his four daughters were still teenagers. I think this is another case of a man becoming trans when the attention was on the women of the family, they were the ages to start dating, discussing colleges, etc

I so want a mental health surgery of Trans identified people just to see how many come out when the attention is on others near them. It would fit with the higher levels of narcissism in the TQ+ community

[transamorousnetwork]

The Best Trans Girlfriend: Played By Nava Mau

I’m very near the end of gushing about Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. Just two more things need mentioning about this wonderful show. It’s wonderful because, as mentioned in the last post, Baby Reindeer reveals underlying causes keeping nearly all trans-attracted men in the shadows.

Primary among those causes is self loathing. Self loathing is as common among transgender women as it is among trans-attracted men. Which is one dimension across which both groups represent perfect matches.

But that’s another story; one I’ve shared many times. In this story, I want to focus on Teri, the transgender character played by Nava Mau. I’m going to crush a little on the actress too. So bear with me.

Alright, here we go.

Trans women and the power they possess

Speaking of crushing, this blog asserts over and over that trans women possess a unique power. Especially when they embrace all that they are. I’ve seen trans-attracted men literally transformed for the better because of that power. This power also partly explains why trans-attracted men who enjoy the pleasure of actually dating a trans woman finds himself so smitten to the core.

Teri, whom Donny, Baby Reindeer’s main character, meets on a dating website, is exactly the kind of trans woman I’m writing about. She’s self assured, measured and clear-headed. It helps, of course that she’s a therapist. Which also tells us she’s got some baggage herself. Therapists become therapists for a reason. And really good therapists are really good for that same reason.

Anyway, Teri’s at first open minded. She’s eager to get to know Donny, even though he’s presenting a totally bogus version of himself. That’s because he’s deeply shameful of his attraction. Which is interesting because Nava Mau is gorgeous in the extreme. And, to me, totally passable.

That doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. For a trans-attracted man dealing with his shame, however, it would seem Teri is a great match because she looks convincingly like a cis woman. Still, Donny tries Teri’s patience. She sees right through his lies, but goes along anyway. I presume she’s hoping to meet the real Donny eventually.

^^Nava Mau (Instagram)

Trans women: helping the men helps you

Which brings me back to the power of trans women. Listen ladies, if you want to be with a man, many such men exist who will love you out loud exactly as you are. But many more need some training. If you’re willing to, helping a guy get through his shame can create a lasting, deep love.

It also, however, can lead to disastrous outcomes. Which is why I advocate a particular approach to relationships. One that first starts with the relationship with yourself. Get that stable and it’s really easy to create any kind of relationship you want. Including with a guy. But if your relationship with yourself is wobbly, you can’t access that power, that focus that literally can turn a man into a prime relationship candidate.

There’s no reason a trans woman who wants to be with a man can’t be with one. But disempowering beliefs will put the kibosh on that goal every time. Those who tell positive stories – about themselves, about their man and their relationship – can literally create the ideal relationship from one that seems deeply flawed.

After all, we all meet our matches in the moment we meet them. That means every relationship we get into is a match. We might not like what that relationship contains, but isn’t it true that in every failed relationship we are the common denominator? That means we and we alone can change the relationship, because we are the focus of it.

And if that’s available to us, why keep running through guys? Why not instead choose a guy and walk with him through his struggles? Maybe he’ll do the same for you.

Bring on an ass kicking

This is what Teri tries to do. And for a while it works. But then Donny does something so freaking disgusting, even I was shocked when it happened. I won’t ruin the show with a spoiler. I’ll just say for Teri, it was the final straw. Later in the series we see her again, dating another guy.

Nava Mau surprised me as an actress. I was confused when she first appeared because my radar pinged her as trans, but she passed so completely. Her acting, however, really won me over. It was so passionate, so spirited. So raw. I wonder if she drew on her own experiences dating men. Looking at her Instagram profile, she may be into women. If that’s the case, she’s an even better actress.

I particularly enjoyed that the show portrayed her as a professional, with her own home and her own life. What also surprised me though was when she and Donny’s stalker squared off in one espisode, I expected Teri to beat the living daylights out of that girl.

That wouldn’t have been consistent with the plot though. So I can see why her character didn’t give that crazy stalker an ass kicking. Still, many of the trans women I’ve met not only are smart and capable, they’re more than willing to bring an ass kicking to the table if necessary. Which is another thing I admire about certain trans women: they’re tough. They have to be given what many go through.

It’s just too bad so many let what they go through also shape their expectations, especially in the dating realm. Which is why I started this blog.

Meeting our match isn’t coincidence

Now let’s be clear. Plenty of trans women like Teri exist in the world. Read that again men. If you’re not meeting them, it’s because you’re not a match to them. They have things going on. While you may find them on online dating sites, I don’t think they’re at bars. So finding them means letting go of preconceived notions about how to date. It also means letting go of the idea that you know where to find her.

Meeting such women usually means such connections happening by “chance”. People like that term “chance”. “Coincidence” is another word they love. From The Transamorous Network’s perspective, however, chance and coincidence aren’t real. What’s really happening when a trans woman suddenly appears on our path is in that moment we’ve allowed our desire for relationship dominate expectations that such a relationship isn’t possible.

In other words, the Universe is showing us that what we think is impossible is, in fact, possible. Which explains why usually, when such meetings happen, the girl is with someone already. It’s not that she’s meant for us, she’s meant to show us what’s available; when we let go of stories keeping what’s available on the horizon.

I say if you want a transgender partner, the best approach is letting it happen naturally, not trying to make it happen. Trying to make it happen brings us matches matching ALL we are – warts and all. Better to let it happen in divine timing, a timing that also allows us to become better matches.

So that when our match does show up, the match has more of what we want than what we don’t.

[theravenflies]

Pinned

Storm was right in what she said to Rogue about the cure and I will fight people on this.

My name is Raven, he/him, I'm 20, and this is my disability blog. I am a multiple disabled person who has a bad job, has not yet learned how to drive, certainly can't live on my own, and I write and reblog posts. Please do not mock the spelling, language, grammar, punctuation, or whatever else of me or anyone I reblog here. This blog will focus mostly on autism and autistic voices, but I'll post about a whole spectrum. Mainly the ones listed below

I have autism, light-moderate support needs, medium moderate support needs when accounting for everything else. Hyperempathy, hypersensitivity to my senses, emotion regulation issues, find it near impossible to understand people when they aren't being up-front about what they mean, need reminders for actions of daily living (including eating) but can do them on my own when reminded. Should not be managing my own money. I am fully verbal, but with a lot of speech disability. I get overwhelmed extremely easily and when that happens, I completely freak out. I also have some kinds of cognitive and developmental disabilities but am not intellectually disabled.

I have a lisp, a permanent slur, trouble pronouncing crunchy consonants or words that start with a vowel (can do it, just takes my mouth a second to work,) and I talk very slowly. There's probably more and I just don't know it. Apparently my speech is so bad that the speech therapist in kindergarten said that there was so much wrong with my speech that it couldn't possibly be fixed. Also often tend to speak without thinking, which I can't really help.

I have severe ADHD, mostly inattentive, dyslexia, dysgraphia, articulatory initiation anomia, dyspraxia, TBI from when I was a baby, migraines (all kinds, including ACM,) sensory processing disorder, chronic daily headache, myofascial pain syndrome, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, and some other stuff.

Recovering from kleptomania and compulsive lying.

Warning

- I lost a friend to ABA. He's dead because of ABA. There is no ABA positivity here. I will be hating on it.

- I talk about ableism a lot. All posts will be tagged as ableism

- I am transgender

I DO answer both educational and writing questions.

[tjpunkchef]

All Over The Place

In the weeks since I have last sat at this keyboard I have navigated the hills and valleys of emotion. Yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but it felt dramatic.

I've had moments of absolute clarity, confusion, absolute cloudiness, fear, joy, more fear, more confusion...you get the idea. I continue to go from a positive feeling that I want to transition into a woman, begin HRT, exercise my lower body to enhance my small hips, socially transition, come out, and allow myself the ability to attempt to live a happy life to feeling absolutely dumb for thinking that I could be a woman, shameful for wearing clothes that are gendered for the female sex, shameful for shopping in the women's section of thrift stores, wearing panties under my male gendered underwear on an almost daily basis (this also gives me great joy/feels like just a normal part of my day now), and a bit of hate toward myself for thinking of putting my family through the distress of having me be a transgender woman in the southern United States (the hate, the safety concerns, the hell that it could put them through).

I type this as I wear my favorite skirt, blouse, panties, and bra. Over the past few weeks I have removed almost all of my body hair via wax or shaving, exfoliated, moisturized, learned to give myself manicures and pedicures, painted my nails, and allowed myself to walk the halls of my home with a feminine freedom (when I am alone). I have fallen in love with my hairless soft skin. I felt such disappointment when the hair on my chest and belly started to grow back in. At least it's softer, but I know that in a few weeks it will be back to the way it was and knowing how much I prefer it gone is causing me a lot of stress. The stubble on my legs aggravates me nightly as I lay in bed. Not in the painful/itchy way that hair growing back in does, more as a reminder of the wonderful feeling my hairless, soft, and smooth legs felt against each other and the fabric of my clothes and sheets continues to fade.

My disdain for clothing gendered toward the male sex has awakened and grown exponentially over the past several weeks. I've never "liked" my body so to speak. I haven't disliked it, but have just always felt that it needed to change, via working out to achieve a more masculine frame or grow it a bit fatter, figure out what feels better, etc. After putting on my first dress that enhanced my hips I only want to accentuate them. I want to slightly cinch my waist (I like having a somewhat bigger body, a fatter body), I want to show off my actual natural curves. Clothes made for the male sex don't do this. I haven't worn jeans in years, but wept a little when I put on a pair of womens Levis that I found at the thrift store.

These emotions, these feelings, these revelations have really taken over my inner monologue. I can't stop thinking about how I think I might be a trans woman. I've talked to my therapist. I told him about the crossdressing and the feelings that have taken over my days and brought upon more sleepless nights. He mentioned that I could just be genderqueer, and I agree with that. He told me to have patience with myself and I responded that I've never reserved that for myself. I do feel that the clock is ticking. I feel like if I were to transition into a woman it is now or never. However, I also know that I can not rush a decision like this.

So, I continue to open myself to the possibility that I am a woman, that I am transgender. I continue to allow myself to feel these feelings and think these thoughts and wear these clothes and practice the acts of self care and self love. I am trying to love myself inside and out for the first time ever.

I'm also trying to love those around me more. I want to share this with my wife at some point in the near future. I am terrified of losing her and my kids. I am also terrified to continue to keep everyone in my life at arms length. I wrote down a revelation I had to share with my therapist next week:

"I have wanted to become this warm, fun, inviting, open person that I know exists inside of me for so many years, but have been unable to let out. Am I realizing that I was unable to let them out because that "me" is the woman I have somehow suppressed subconsciously and refused to allow to manifest?"

I am still confused. I am still scared. I am still working to understand this and understand me.

[ctrlkinned]

cw / tw: nsfw, incest, pedophilia, racism, transphobia

i've decided that my shit-talking privately has to move publicly.

my ex, who went by the name of calcrimthebreadgod who has now, assumably, either blocked me or deleted his account, is a vile racist pedophilic incestuous transphobe and im here to make a call-out post because i refuse to let him live his life like nothing happened and to warn any and all of his moots. i know he had some.

our relationship began long distance over discord (surprise, my standards are higher now) on 6.6.22 and from the start was a dumpster fire. he masturbated to a photo of my face 2-3 months after our relationship began after i stated i was not comfortable with that. throughout our relationship, he would constantly try to force me to become more and more comfortable with giving him a blowjob, insinuating i would and eventually saying i would, even though i had already told him i was not comfortable with that.

in 2023, a lot more troubles came. i went to live with my dad and it was a process that did not go smoothly. afterwards, i had the time and the safe space to process what had happened to me previously and it left me with a lot of anger to go around. without a therapist, i was not able to help myself. i struggled with suspected bipolar-1 with a lot of research on my own time, suspected autism, ptsd, and depersonalization-derealization. he did not understand the struggle and instead made a list of things i should change about myself to make his life easier. he passed it off as a critique of the 'abusive' things i had done, with some of the things being 'always talking about politics during fnaf co-op' which i was talking about the mandated detransitioning going on in the united states. he lives in ireland. he is in a safe country and could not fathom nor hear about the struggles of trans people. he later identified as trans although dying down the definition of being trans to being a porn tag, 'smol cute uwu bean', with no actual struggle. there's no problem with making being transgender into a good thing that should be uplifted, its a problem when that becomes its only definition. there is a lot that comes into being trans and i am gnc (gender nonconforming) as a transman and he would refuse to hear my side of the story. my side of the struggle. i choose to disregard his identity because he only identified as a trans-woman to feel a 'struggle', as everything else was handed over to him. near the end of the year he would constantly flex how he's able to get the body he wants and the acceptance he wants. throughout most of our relationship, he never once called me a 'he' it was always 'they' with the defense of 'well they told me theyre okay with being called that!!' with no follow-up afterwards. when i had removed 'they' from my preferred pronouns on my profile, even though he had admitted he stalks my profile to look for any pronoun changes to make me more comfortable, he did not change the way he addressed me. he almost flat-out refused to call me 'he. he would constantly compare me to a femboy and turned every fashion show i would put on for him sexual in one way or another.

i have very large problems with the admin at my school as they made me open up about my assault and even afterwards nothing was done about it. i had called an admin 'bald' as he has no redeeming qualities as a person and attacks every minority he can find and my ex would call me 'insensitive' and 'scared' when i'd use physical insults, refusing to understand my struggle and instead take up the fact i used something unchangeable as an insult, which i think was the least of the problem since the things the admin did were a borderline lawsuit type beat. he tried to get me into cnc. he tried to get me into somnophilia. he turned every conversation about our sexual boundaries sexual.

he told me i should've called off plans with my friends because we had made 'plans' beforehand. it wasn't plans, it was e-sex. he compared me to his mother with bpd because we were both 'abusers'. he called my private parts disgusting and said that he was more into cis male parts and convinced me to get bottom surgery because of that. he said he would love me more if i was cis. he hated arguments but every conversation we had turned into one and i would always be the one shot down. if i argued against him, he would say i'm too angry to have a civil conversation with. he sent me self-harm photos because he was asking the 'pros' if he was doing it correctly. i was in recovery and he later asked if we could compare our self-harm. he told me to stop saying the n-word because it was a 'swear' and 'aggressive'. he called me a druggie and an addict after i told him weed helps me function better as a person. he asked me to flash a group chat with a then 12 and 11 year old with his nudes. he originally had a crush on the 12 year old when he was 15, me 16, and tried to get with him. he later decided he wanted me instead. i was second in line to a twelve year old. he didn't let me talk about my then special interest because he wasn't into that. he said that joe hawley does not deserve backlash for being a pedophile because he's schizophrenic. he bought me sex toys for anal use even though i told him beforehand i wasn't into anal. he told me i owed him 130 nudes because i spent time with my mother. we called for 9 days straight and still said that i never spent time with him.

he is a zionist as well. he refused to speak up for palestinian voices because his country was already the biggest supporter of palestine. he never reposted content, and that was all i asked of him to do. instead, he blocked me and said that i was arguing just to argue. he was lucky that this was so late into our relationship, to the point where we were taking a 'break', or otherwise i wouldn't have spoken up. but his defense of a country committing ethnic erasure had pissed me off. my words scared him but the list of palestinians killed that we know the names of does not. he sits at home in the comfort of his own bed refusing to uplift the voices silent by a genocide.

id like to end it off with the worst. on his twitter, he follows pedophilic and incestuous porn artists. for one, drawing anya 'aged up' but she just looks 12 with fat boobs and ass. its disgusting, and that wasn't even the first time i caught him. he originally looked up 'incest furry porn' while he was showing me something he needed to google. he says that he does that because he has no other way of 'recovering' from the trauma he made up. all of his family members know what his uncle apparently did but he was not put on charge for it. instead, he was put on the charge of the possession of child porn. ireland is supposed to be one of those countries that don't really water down the assault of children. so how come with 3+ people telling the judge this happened, the charge wasn't even brought to the court or told guilty or not guilty even though he told the garda what had happened to him?

i do not stand with liars or abusers.

i do not stand with zionists.

[riverdamien]

Day of Silence

Gospel Jn 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

- - -

Today is the Day of  (No)Silence: "Rise Up and Take Action! sponsored by GLSEN (www. GLSEN.org).  It is a day in which we remain silent in protest of discrimination against our GLBT. youth in our school systems, and I include churches as well.

The question I would raise is "Does your church or school your youth attend, even though publicly affirming their acceptance of everyone have any education, groups, or discussion around teens and being GLBTQ? Do they have youth groups just for GLBTQ teens? I venture to say very, and I mean very few, even in the Bay Area.

The "bread" Jesus is having his disciples feed the group of people in our Scripture is literal bread, but I would venture into greater action, in light of the learnings of the past hundred years Jesus would be commanding them to feed people with the bread of non-discrimination, acceptance, and love for everyone, especially GLBT? teens.

Our young friend Paul (photo) was a freshman in high school, and he shared with a friend, his age, a thought of possibly fooling around, wondering if he might like guys. This fifteen-year-old friend rebelled and called Paul a "fag" and the rumors spread around his high school, an open and affirming school.

Paul was isolated, his "straight" teachers uncomfortable and his "gay" teachers, very uncomfortable of saying much to him. Even in this high school that was  "open and affirming", there was an undermining homophobia present. Those were good political words to use.

Paul's parents sent him to a queer therapist, but ultimately he ran away and found himself working as a prostitute on Polk Street, and finally struggling with coming out as transgender, beginning that process. Paul was murdered by a 'john' one night when Paul was talking about now being transgender. Paul is but one of many queer youth I have "hung" out with through the years.

There is presently in many of our schools throughout California this fight among "adults" concerning queer youth, and queer literature, and at times it seems as if the conservative have the upper hand,  let alone throughout the country.

Today, may it be the first of every day, that all of us --"Rise Up, Take Action!" to share the bread of liberation, acceptance, and love with our "Gay/Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth!" Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

------------------------------------------

Post Office Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

paypal.com

415-305-2124

Fr. River Sims, D.Min., D.S.T.

Director

Donate to GLSEN at www.GLlSEN.com

Prayer of St. Brendan!

"Help me to journey beyond the familiar

and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries I trust in You to be stronger than each storm within me.

I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hands.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,

and somehow, make my obedience count for You"

------------------------------------------------

(Temenos and Fr. River seek to remain accessible to everyone. We do not endorse particular causes, political parties, or candidates, or take part in public controversies, whether religious, political or social--Our pastoral ministry is to everyone!

[underthevveather]

Coming Out: My Story + Advice

*CW: Mentions of internalized transphobia, transphobic interactions, dysphoria, etc.*

*Please DNI if you're anti-LGBT, a terf, or a general asshole. This blog isn't for you.*

Hello, friends. So I know I don't have the biggest blog out there, but it's continuously growing and I figured I should make a post about this. I don't usually talk about myself or my identity too much on here, even though it's literally an LGBT-related account. So I'm very nervous to post this, but here we go:

I'm coming out to all of you as a trans man.

This is most likely not shocking (because this is Tumblr and everyone is trans or queer in some way), but I wanted to clarify because I'm so tired of hiding who I am. I've had so many people doubt me, be hateful, be disrespectful, be judgemental, and be utterly horrible to me for being trans. But honestly, I'm slowly coming to a point where I want to be authentic with people.

So, when I was 13, my therapist was the first person that I came out to. I told her, without being able to look at her in the eyes, that I thought I might be transgender. I remember she smiled, asked me a little bit about it, and was generally so supportive and handled it amazingly.

On my 14th birthday, I came out to my mom as trans. She was also very supportive, though more surprised and a little confused than anything else. Slowly, over the next year, I began coming out to all of my friends and family.

I had negative experiences along the way. One of my closest family members called me selfish for wanting to change my name and pronouns because it would be "too difficult" for everyone else. I was told that I was "being childish" for asking for support and love from certain family members. I even experienced a lot of hate from my partner's parents at the time (my partner being cis with transphobic parents).

Regardless, I had a supportive single mother that believed in me and supported me and let me start testosterone when I was 15 (yes, I was young and no, I don't regret any of it). Despite T being a very powerful hormone for most AFAB people that go on it, it took a very long time for it to fully kick in.

I had a lot of difficulties with T. My voice, for example, never fully dropped and it's something I've always been dysphoric about. I even remember being told by random people that I "sound like a girl" or that they "can tell" that I'm trans because of my voice.

About 2 years on T, with very little changes, I decided to get top surgery and my mom allowed it because she could tell how much this meant to me. She saw all the struggles that I was going through and she could tell how much my chest bothered me, considering I would wear binders an unhealthy amount of the time.

So I got top surgery and I'm currently 4 years post-OP. Though I received top surgery at a fairly young age, there is not a single part of me that regrets it and not a day goes by where I'm ungrateful for it.

Although my transition has been a struggle (due to external forces and a lot of internalized transphobia), I'm still slowly learning how to appreciate who I am. I've been out for 7 years now, transitioning for almost 6 years, and although I still get misgendered occasionally, it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be and that's something I'm very thankful for.

Now that I've shared all of this, I'd like to be a tiny voice amongst the many different trans people that've given advice on this (or any other) platform before.

To Any Closeted Trans or Gender-Questioning People Out There:

Please be kind to yourself. Please take care of yourself. Please be patient and take your time figuring out who you are. Please only come out when you are safe to do so.

Remember that it gets easier, even when it's just a little bit at a time. Every day gets a little easier. Remember your strengths. Remember that you are who you are, and that is enough. The right people will know it, too.

And never let anyone tell you who you are. Only you can determine that.

If you've read this far, I would like to say thank you and that I hope you have a wonderful day. Remember to be kind to yourself and others :)

[pashterlengkap]

In touching speech, Oprah Winfrey discusses brother who died of AIDS

Media legend Oprah Winfrey recently spoke about her younger brother Jeffrey who died of AIDS. She spoke of him while accepting a Vanguard Award from the queer media watchdog group GLAAD. GLAAD presents the award to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and issues. “Many people don’t know this, but 35 years ago, my brother Jeffrey Lee passed away when he was just 29 years old, from AIDS,” Winfrey said near the start of her speech. “Growing up at the time we did, in the community that we did, we didn’t have the language to understand or to speak about sexuality and gender in the way that we do now. And at the time, I really didn’t know how deeply my brother internalized the shame that he felt about being gay. I wish he could have lived to visit these liberated times and to be here with me tonight.” Related: Oprah Winfrey advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in Tennessee State commencement speech She said these words in a state that has passed a ban on public drag performance and has outlawed gender-affirming care for minors. “I wish my brother Jeffrey could have experienced a world that could see him for who he was and appreciate him for what he brought to this world,” she added. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Daily * Weekly * Good News * During her speech, she mentioned that The Oprah Winfrey Show — her televised talk show which ran from 1986 to 2011 — worked during the AIDS crisis to correct “rampant misinformation and misguided fear” about gay men. In 1987, she brought her talk show to Williamson, West Virginia — a town that had shut down a local pool after an HIV-positive man was found to have swam there — to hold a town hall where medical experts explained how the virus is transmitted. “We brought the facts and tried to erase some of the biases,” Winfrey said in her speech. “And then we went back, 23 years later, to revisit it and help people to confront their beliefs around homosexuality, and saw both the personal growth and the lack of personal growth that had taken place.” Her show also commemorated National Coming Out Day in 1988, the same year that the observance was first created, to have people publicly come out to their parents on the air — though she admitted that she required all participants to come out to their parents before the show aired because, “Really, I don’t want your mom to come after me.” “I wanted to create a safe space to bring the lives and the background stories of the LGBTQ community front and center to our audience,” she said. “And what I’ve learned over the years of interviewing over 35,000 people one-on-one… is that every single person wants the same thing, and that is the desire to feel seen and to know that what we say matters and to know that we matter.” She noted that, since launching the Oprah Winfrey Network in 2011, she had helped air documentaries on transgender people, including Becoming Chaz, about Cher’s son Chaz Bono, and I Am Jazz, about young trans youth advocate Jass Jennings. Related: Oprah & Gayle King try to define LGBTQ slang terms & they don’t care if they’re wrong “I’ve never heard this from any gay person,” Oprah said of a particularly difficult expression. Even today, Winfrey continues to use her platform to foster understanding towards the LGBTQ+ community. In 2021, she spoke with actor Elliot Page about the “joy” transitioning brought him; in 2016, she spoke with Connie Johnson, wife of retired NBA superstar Magic Johnson, about how she reconciled her Christian faith with her son’s homosexuality; and in 2015, she spoke with gay former-child actor Danny Pintaro about his meth addiction. Oprah also played the role of a therapist in the history-making 1997 episode of Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom Ellen, in which DeGeneres came out. Oprah and Ellen have… http://dlvr.it/T4Ypq9

[steffinjoy]

voice therapy for transgender near me

Looking for voice therapy tailored to transgender individuals? Our clinic offers specialized voice therapy services to support your gender transition journey. Our experienced therapists provide personalized techniques to help you achieve the voice that aligns with your identity. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start your voice transformation process.

[howaboutcastiel-personal]

Today did happen to be moderately worse than yesterday.

I think maybe it makes me a bad person but my mom is so fucking stupid. Actually completely moronic, an IQ of maybe 7. One singular brain cell. So fucking dumb. And it’s the dunning-Kruger effect but with life in general because she really thinks she’s the smartest fuckinf person in the world. Goddamn narcissistic bitch that she is. So fucking idea how absolutely insufferable she is to everyone around here. Jesus fucking Christ.

How can she know so goddamn little about how things work. I’m convinced the only reason she’s so successful (relative term) is that she’s too fucking dumb to have anxiety about anything. She has the confidence of someone with much more to offer the world and in my opinion she’s not doing a damn bit of good. And that I know is selfish because of course she’s doing shit for other people. Useless shit. She said she would fucking adopt Nevaeh but bitch you don’t even love the kids you have and you would not love Nevaeh once you got her.

She said she would be a good foster parent too like BITCH. FUCKING USELESS BITCH WHAT A HORRIBLE TAKE. You could not foster. You don’t love the kids you have. You can’t accept the flaws of your own flesh and blood and you would rather beat my ass raw as a child than take me to a therapist when I was obviously showing signs of autism and panic disorder. Fucking moron. You could not love a foster child. You can’t look me in the eye because of my queerness and atheism and everything else and god knows how much I even keep from you and I’m still your biggest disappointment. You could not love a foster child! What if they came to you with trauma? What if they were troubled and disobedient? What if they had a drug problem or an attitude problem or god fucking forbid what if they were transgender? What if they weren’t fucking white??? You COULD NOT LOVE THEM. YOU DONT LOVE THE ONES THAT YOU HAVE. YOU CAN NOT LOVE THEM. YOUR LOVE IS CONDITIONAL AND EVEN THEN IT IS MANIPULATIVE. fuck you. I fucking resent you and everything you did to me. And fuck Nevaeh too, only because you seem to care so much about her. Sorry you fucked up your kids so bad that they won’t give you grandchildren. It’s your own fault. Moron.

I know she’s in a manic episode. I’m supposed to have compassion or some shit but I don’t because she never has compassion. Whether she’s in a manic episode or a depressive one or whether she’s normal or whenever. She’s always a bitch. A narcissist, manipulative, vindictive fucking bitch and I will never have sympathy for her. I don’t care how hard she works. I don’t care how much shit she goes though. She refuses to love me and I have no obligation to fucking love her back, and if I kill myself I hope it kills her too. I hope it ruins her life and she wakes up every day too fucking sad to move because she knows I’m in hell and she knows that it’s her fucking fault. But she won’t. Because nothing has ever been her fucking fault and even if I spell it the fuck out for her it still wouldn’t be. She’s incapable of remorse and she quite literally is incapable of considering other people’s feelings. Even her “charity” work she does because it makes her feel good. It’s almost never genuinely useful to the people she’s ‘helping.’

I don’t know how to fix myself but if I don’t get away from her I will die. I can’t live near her. Like this. I’m wasting the fuck away and she’s killing me. She says I’m fat and I’m a pussy and I’m lazy and I’m antisocial and I’m a bitch and whatever the fuck else and she says I abuse her. I wish that I did. I wish I could make her life so fucking miserable that she couldn’t bear it. I fucking wish.

[sparchealththerapist]

Find Your Voice: Sparc Health Therapist, Your Local Voice Therapy Experts

If you're searching for a voice therapist near you, you've come to the right place. Sparc Health Therapist is a leading provider of voice therapy services, and we're committed to helping individuals of all ages and backgrounds achieve optimal vocal health. speech therapy seattle wa

Voice therapy is a specialized form of therapy that helps individuals improve their vocal quality, control, and function. Our voice therapists are highly trained and experienced in working with individuals with a wide range of voice disorders, including vocal nodules, polyps, cysts, and other vocal cord injuries.

At Sparc Health Therapist, we understand that each patient's needs are unique, which is why we take a personalized approach to every treatment plan. We start with a thorough evaluation of your voice, including an assessment of your vocal quality, resonance, pitch, and range. Based on our evaluation, we create a customized treatment plan designed to meet your specific needs and goals.

Our voice therapy services are tailored to meet the needs of individuals with a wide range of voice disorders. Whether you're experiencing hoarseness, vocal fatigue, difficulty projecting your voice, or other vocal issues, our team can help.

Our voice therapy services include:

Vocal Rehabilitation

Our vocal rehabilitation program is designed to help individuals recover from vocal injuries or surgeries. We use a combination of exercises and techniques to help you regain strength and control in your voice, so you can return to speaking and singing with confidence.

Vocal Hygiene Education

Our voice therapists provide education on proper vocal hygiene practices to help you maintain a healthy voice. This includes tips on proper hydration, voice rest, and avoiding vocal behaviors that can lead to injury or strain.

Voice Therapy for Transgender Individuals

We offer voice therapy services for individuals who are transgender and seeking to change their vocal pitch and quality to align with their gender identity. Our voice therapists work with each patient to develop a customized treatment plan that meets their unique needs and goals.

Accent Modification

Our accent modification program is designed to help individuals who speak English as a second language improve their communication skills and reduce their accent. We use a variety of techniques to help you modify your accent, so you can communicate more effectively in your personal and professional life.

Singing Voice Therapy

Our singing voice therapy services are designed to help singers improve their vocal technique and control. We work with singers of all skill levels and genres to help them achieve their vocal goals and perform at their best.

At Sparc Health Therapist, we're committed to providing high-quality voice therapy services that help individuals achieve optimal vocal health. If you're searching for a voice therapist near you, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with our team. We'll work with you to develop a customized treatment plan that meets your unique needs and goals. Contact us today to learn more about our voice therapy services and to schedule your appointment.

For More Info: voice therapist near me

[vivaanjohn]

What Is An LGBTQ-Friendly Therapist?

Some people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or any other sexual orientation that falls outside the traditional heterosexual and/or cisgender categories.

Connect with LGBTQ friendly therapists near me - Who are knowledgeable about and sensitive to the needs of the LGBTQ community. This may include understanding the intersections between sexuality and other identity categories, such as race or ethnicity.

 It's also important for a therapist to be open about their own experiences with LGBTQ issues. This will allow them to better communicate with their clients and provide the support that goes beyond superficial platitudes. In addition, it can be helpful for them to have access to resources like training modules on LGBTQ issues or therapy groups specifically designed for LGBTQ individuals.

 Where To Find The Best LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists Near Me

Finding a therapist who is LGBTQ-friendly can be difficult, but it's definitely worth it. Not only will you be dealing with someone who understands your unique concerns, but you'll also be getting the best possible therapy.

 There are a few things that you need to keep in mind when searching for is LGBTQ therapist near me. First and foremost, make sure that the therapist is licensed and qualified to practice therapy. Next, make sure that they are LGBTQ-aware and sensitive to the issues that members of the LGBTQ community face. Finally, check their bio page to see if they have any experience or knowledge of LGBTQ issues.

 Lesbian therapy

There are many benefits to seeking out lesbian therapy. One of the main reasons is that lesbian therapists are experienced in working with people who identify as lesbian or gay. This means that they will be able to provide you with guidance on a range of issues that may be specific to your sexuality or gender identity. 

 If you're looking for help with resolving any problems you're facing, then contacting a gay therapist near me would be an excellent choice. They'll be able to provide you with the guidance and support you need to regain control over your life.

 Conclusion:-

One can say that the LGBTQ community is proactively working to improve society’s views of them and provide them with more opportunities than they had in the past.

 It’s a goal we believe therapists should share as well. That's why it’s so important to select a therapist who understands your needs and respects your identity. Sign up for an appointment today!

Visit:-LongBeachTherapy.com

[queen-of-possum-springs]

tw for like....suicide ig! i love my mother for referring me to yet another transphobic therapist who is promoted on the daily wire and is sharing matt walsh's amazing hit movie "what is a woman"

im near 21 and yet the transphobia and homophobia has continued for over 4 years.

i dont know why i even bother anymore. i know its never gonna stop and im never going to escape

i dont care for anything on my birthday. yeah sure theres things i need. id like to be able to drive again and get car priviliges back. id like a new working laptop to replace my old one. maybe another guitar amp or to get my bass repaired.

all i want is like....love and acceptance and for my parents to like...truly accept me for who i am and not "we need to figure out the deeper issues of your depression and why youre a transgender. why cant you be a gay instead"

how the fuck do i just explain i think about suicide like everyday. how do i explain that their actions and reactions hurt me. and sure i know our pain isnt comparable- the pain of losing a child is awful, i cant even imagine it. but to say that me transitioning is like killing myself....im still here. im trying to be here for you, i just want you to be there for me.

this "therapist" is just.....transphobic. no other way to put it. simple enough. a terf

thank you for cancelling my therapist when i needed her because you "didnt like her. she was a social worker and not a psychiatrist"

i just like....i want to live. i want to survive and escape and live a life worth living. im holding on to as much as i can right now and it feels like everythings just getting worse

i want to escape so bad but if i do and get caught its gonna be bad. bleh