Exploring Your Sexual Orientation? How Therapy can Help.

Exploring your sexuality can be a scary experience if you feel alone in your feelings. We live in a world where people assume being straight is the default. You could be attracted to the same sex, both sexes, or maybe you do not know for sure yet. It could be you are attracted to people based on personality and that gender does not matter to you. But when everyone acts like being straight is the norm, you could be feeling inferior, alone, or like there is something wrong with you.

A therapist can be a great person to go to if you have questions about your sexuality. The right person will hear you out, give you the support you have been seeking, and provide you with a safe space to explore your identity.

Issues LGBTQIA+ Face

There is a lot of social pressure that comes from discovering you are in the LGBTQIA+ community. The pressures of coming out, oppression, and being your authentic self may lead to high levels of depression and anxiety. You could experience social rejection, bullying, and sexual assault as a result of being a part of a marginalized community.

Identifying Issues

You may be seeking counseling because you do not understand why you are unhappy. You could be seeing the people around you smiling and laughing, but you cannot find yourself to do the same.

A counselor can help you understand yourself and your feelings. If you are having any confusing thoughts regarding your sexuality, a therapist can help make those thoughts less incoherent for you.

Understanding Your Feelings

You could have gone through your whole life thinking you are attracted to the opposite sex when you are a completely different orientation. It could be because your parents had certain expectations of you as well as your friends.

Now, you are developing these thoughts that feel like they have come out of nowhere. With the stress of suddenly not knowing who you are, these emotions can seem to be beyond your control. A counselor can help you make sense of your emotions and help you handle them too.

Deciding How to Go Forward

Once you have an idea about your sexual orientation, you may not know where to go from here. You could be asking yourself if you should come out or how best to be yourself.

A therapist can help you come up with a plan on how best to come out to your loved ones. Or it can be a matter of also just finding the courage to be yourself without having to declare your sexuality to the world. Maybe your therapist can guide you to support groups from the LGBTQIA+ community to help you feel less alone. The point is that you have options.

Improving Relationship Skills

If your sexual orientation is different from everyone else around you, you might feel alone and disconnected from everyone you love. It can also be a struggle to know what you want from your friends and relatives to help ease into this new life transition.

Counseling can teach you how to have these conversations with your family and friends. You can even invite your loved ones to one of your sessions so they can gain a better understanding of what you are going through so they see this is not just a “phase.” That hiding who you are for the rest of your life will only bring you more pain.

As qualified therapists for affirming your sexual orientation, we’re here to help. Please reach out today for LGTBQ counseling.