Going to therapy may sound intimidating, but it can be a meaningful journey that helps us learn and grow.

Therapy provides structured support, and helps us gain self-awareness, build resilience, and learn new coping strategies. In therapy, we can create an emotional toolbox to navigate the ups and downs of life.

When beginning your therapy journey, it’s important to find a mental health professional that you feel safe and comfortable with.

Therefore, it’s really important that your therapist has a strong understanding of the needs and experiences of the queer community.

Therapists receive formal training in one or more therapy modalities, or styles of therapy.

A commonly used modalities is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is a science-based approach where you identify and understand problems in terms of the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Similar to exercise or a well-balanced diet, therapy can help us stay healthy.

Some people seek therapy after major life events, like a break-up or losing a loved one. Others seek therapy for specific issues, like depression, anxiety, or substance use.

While a therapist will help with these things, therapy can be just as meaningful without a major life event or health issue.

There are many reasons to invest in our mental health:

• It's dedicated time for you to focus on your wellbeing, goals, and working through difficulties.
• Many of us aren't taught how to deal with our emotions or cope with our difficulties, and therapy can help us build the tools we need to cope with life’s challenges.
• Therapists can provide a particular type of support that can be hard to find in our families or communities.

If you’re a part of the queer community, like us, there are a few additional reasons to invest in your mental health:

• LGBTQ+ people are more likely to face mental health and substance use issues than non-LGBTQ+ people.
• Our community continues to face discrimination and stigma which negatively affects our mental health and wellbeing.
• Many of us have had difficult experiences with our families of origin or the communities we grew up in.

It's dedicated time to reflect on our gender identities and sexual orientations.

Investing in our mental health gives us space to think about and reflect on our gender, our sexuality, and the ways we relate to the world as LGBTQ+ individuals.

Find and book your queer-competent therapist with Violet today.

Our partner therapists also offer income-based discounts (aka sliding-scale slots) to make care more affordable.

Start your mental health journey today!