These helpful LGBTQ+ therapy resources are for anyone interested in understanding more about counselling for clients with diverse gender and sexual identities.
Thinking about starting counselling? Wondering if there are LGBT+ counselling and psychotherapy agencies out there to support you? Perhaps you’re a practitioner looking for resources?
This list is designed to pull together all the useful resources and links across the internet, with the aim of being a definitive list of LGBTQ+ counselling resources. If you think something is missing, please let me know!
LGBTQ+ Counselling Agencies
A counselling agency is usually a charity or commercial business that employs counsellors to provide therapy. LGBTQ+ counselling agencies, as you might expect, specialise in providing services for people who identify as LGBTQ+. As such, you should expect that the people you speak with to arrange an initial session and the counsellor you are assigned all have a good understanding of issues relating to gender and sexual diversity.
You’ll notice that many agencies support people of a particular age or from a certain geographic area. If the agency doesn’t match your particular needs, you may find that they can make suggestions for other services that can support you.
This list is UK-centric for the moment. But as I become aware of other services, I’ll add them.
LGBTQ+ Counselling Agencies in The UK
LGBT Foundation (Manchester) https://lgbt.foundation/talkingtherapies
ELOP (North/East London) offers emotional and support services to LGBTQ communities. http://www.elop.org/#about
Metro (London) LGBTQ counselling for people over 25. https://metrocharity.org.uk/mental-health/lgbt-counselling-for-adults [email protected] or call our mental health team on 020 8305 5009
Spectra (London) Counselling and mindfulness programmes. https://spectra-london.org.uk/2020/06/11/mindfulness-based-chemsex-recovery-mbcr-programme/
LGBT Health (Glasgow and Edinburgh) https://www.lgbthealth.org.uk/services-support/lgbt-mental-health/lgbt-counselling
BirminghamLGBT (Birmingham) https://blgbt.org/counselling-and-psychotherapy/
Terrance Higgins Trust (UK) online counselling for people with HIV https://www.tht.org.uk/our-services/online-services/online-counselling-people-living-hiv
LGBTQ+ Counselling Agencies in Ireland
Pieta House through BelongTo (Ireland) LGBTQ+ people aged between 14 and 23 who are self-harming, feeling suicidal, or lost someone to suicide. https://www.belongto.org/youngpeople/support-services/counselling-service-with-pieta-house/
LGBTQ+ Counselling Directories
Pink Therapy (UK with some Worldwide coverage) http://www.pinktherapy.com/en-gb/findatherapist.aspx
LGBTQ+ Counsellors
William Smith is an online counsellor working with people identifying as LGBTQ+. https://www.therapyhub.eu/ (Will’s also the author of counselling.lgbt)
LGBTQ+ Counselling Books
Pink Therapy (vol. 1) edited by Dominic Davies and Charles Neal. Open University Press, 1996.
Pink Therapy (vol. 2) edited by Dominic Davies and Charles Neal. Open University Press, 2000.
Pink Therapy (vol. 3) edited by Dominic Davies and Charles Neal. Open University Press, 2000.
How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are by Alex Iantaffi and Meg-John Barker. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017.
LGBTQ Clients in Therapy by Joe Kort. W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.
Counselling Skills for Working with Gender Diversity and Identity by Michael Beattie and Penny Lenihan with Robin Dundas. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2018.
A Reflective Guide to Gender Identity Counselling by Madison-Amy Webb. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019.
Theorizing Transgender Identity for Clinical Practice by S. J. Langer. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019.
A Clinician’s Guide to Gender Identity and Body Image: Practical Support for Working with Transgender and Gender-Expansive Clients by Heidi Dalzell & Kayti Protos. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020.
Cultural Awareness in Therapy with Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Adults and Older People by Tavi Hawn. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020.
Props to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for publishing so many books on this topic. I hope they’re kind to their authors in return.
LGBTQ+ Counselling Podcasts
GayTherapyLA Ken Howard, a therapist in Los Angeles produces a podcast specifically focused on gay men in therapy. https://gaytherapyla.com/resources/podcasts-itunes/
GenderGP Dr Helen Webberley and therapist Marianne Oakes’s podcast focuses on matters for the Trans community. https://www.gendergp.com/podcasts/
LGBTQ+ Therapy and Counselling Training
Pink Therapy (UK) are perhaps the leaders in Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity training for therapists in the UK. https://pinktherapy.org/
Online Events (UK and Worldwide) provide all sorts of online workshops with some specialising in LGBTQ+ therapy topics. https://www.onlinevents.co.uk (select ‘workshops’)
Conclusion
It can be hard finding LGBTQ+ counselling resources, but I hope this list is a helpful jumping point for anyone interested in the subject.
