LGBTQ+ Affirming Couples Therapy

No matter your gender or sexual orientation, if you strive for connection with your loved one, LGBTQ+ affirming couples therapy can help. As an LGTBQ+ ally to a community that is under-represented and under-served, I provide attachment-focused relationship counselling using Emotionally Focused Therapy that works for all couples.

Here at My Growth Counselling I create a space where you can be heard and understood in safety and free of judgement. Couples therapy with an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist can help you deepen your connection so you feel able to take the emotional risks, reducing emotional dysregulation and distress.

Working Through Challenges

Many intimate relationships begin with heightened passion, and some couples will go on to develop feelings of trust, deepening intimacy and commitment.

LGBTQ+ couples may face various social and personal experiences in addition to the more common relationship issues that many heterosexual couples face.

A common reason for any couple seeking therapy is poor or destructive patterns of communication. Relationships can be unpredictable and messy. Inclusive Couples Therapy acknowledges the human complexities that are shaped by internalized beliefs about gender and sexual identity, by traumas, and by positive life experiences. Sometimes the impacts of homo/bi/transphobia will form a part of the therapeutic work, and sometimes it won’t.

During any stage of your relationship, I would love to help you sift through and express your unique and complex emotions so that you feel important, loved and accepted by each other. When we feel loved, our emotions become regulated and we benefit from a sense of safety and inner strength.

I welcome couples of all genders and identities in Toronto, Mississauga and the surrounding areas. Schedule a free consultation to learn how inclusive LGBTQ+ couples counselling can help build connection and fulfilment within your relationship.

Many of the individuals I see are hoping to feel happier or to ease their anxiety or depression. They may be feeling torn between the different pulls of life, struggling to focus on the things that are most important to them. Perhaps they are juggling the fine balance between parenthood and work, or finding that life stressors are having an impact on their relationships.

Trying to navigate such issues can be exhausting and confusing. I pay attention to helping people make positive changes by establishing a sense of autonomy while at the same time ensuring a sense of belonging and connection to their loved ones.

Some of the benefits clients may experience with therapy are increased self- esteem, improved mood, increased positive thoughts, fulfilling relationships, and greater self-awareness.

I help clients to develop an understanding of their significant relationships and make lasting change. It is my responsibility as a therapist to focus on the whole person, on their distress and how they experience that distress. When we understand ourselves better, we are then able to make the changes needed to break the cycles that hold us back.

Making those changes begins with making an investment in yourself.

When a relationship comes to an end, it can be a difficult and scary time to face the uncertain times ahead. I understand the feelings of fear and overwhelm that arise from such a major life transition, and have a wealth of experience in helping clients navigate the distress and trauma during this major life transition.

It can be especially painful when children are involved and it can be difficult to know how best to protect them. I provide a welcoming space to to support and help you process all the complicated feelings you may be experiencing. I will also help you show up for your children as a stable and loving parent so you can guide them through this difficult period. As a parent, it is especially important to feel and process our own pain, because when we are able to feel our own hurt, we are also open to helping our children through theirs.

Healing starts with a supportive yet structured space as we work through all the decisions and emotions that follow this difficult time.

When suffering from perinatal related anxiety or depression, it can sometimes feel as if there is no end in sight. Add to that the parenting information at our fingertips today and the pressures of being the perfect Mom that entail, life as a new parent can be overwhelming.

If you have been impacted by birth trauma, perinatal loss or infant death, I imagine you are suffering immense pain and sadness. I hold maternal mental health and wellbeing close to my heart. I use my 10+ years of experience supporting families as a midwife, supplemented with additional training in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders and Perinatal Loss and Grief to help people process their deeply painful experiences.

In your work with me I will listen, and together we will explore your unique struggles. One person’s experience may be very different to another’s. I will provide a safe space and emotional presence that enables you to begin the journey of healing.

Do you notice the same fights with a family member over and again? Maybe you are seeking family therapy because you don’t know how to repair. Perhaps you have tried everything- talking it through, putting up boundaries, even limiting contact, all without success. Family is important to you and you would like to enjoy closer and more peaceful relationships.

Relationship injuries can be difficult to overcome alone, yet holding anger or resentment can be an overwhelming burden at times. Whether you are coming to repair your relationship with your teen, adult child, or your parent, I can help. Through Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, I can help you work through the causes that keep you stuck.