Consultation Questions to Ask When Finding a Queer Affirming Therapist

2SLGBTQIA+ affirming therapy is a therapeutic approach designed to support and validate individuals who identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or otherwise part of the diverse spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities. The term “affirming” reflects a commitment to understanding, accepting, and respecting each client’s unique identity and experiences. In our blog, we explore how to know if your therapist is a match, questions to ask, why queer affirming therapy is important, and where you can get help online or in person in Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge.

How do I know if it’s a therapeutic match?

While having a therapist who is informed in queer affirming therapy is in itself very beneficial to queer people, how can we tell if they are truly a good fit? What questions should we ask during a consultation? Where do we start? One strategy I’ve found to be effective is to center our questions around our personal identities and how they interact with each other to create our unique existences. This is also known as our intersectional identity.

The term “intersectionality’’ refers to a sociological approach that explores how different social categories like race, gender, class, and sexuality intersect to create both privilege and oppression (Carbado, Devon W., et al. “INTERSECTIONALITY: Mapping the Movements of a Theory1.” Du Bois review: social science research on race 10.2 (2013): 303-312.).

What can intersectional questions look like?

Do you have AODA accessibility training as well as queer affirming training?
Have you worked with people who are BIPOC and trans before?
Do you have experience/training working with an interracial queer couple?
How do you approach a situation where you may not fully understand the underlying meanings or societal pressures at play?
Are you comfortable asking questions?
Have you worked with the unhoused queer community before?
Do you offer any free services or reduced rates for low income queer people?

Queer Affirming Therapy is important

Our lived experience and how others approach, interact, and treat us based on who we love, what we look like, our abilities, our income, and our gender identity greatly influence our quality of life. Queer affirming therapists are trained to be open minded and to understand the systemic and personal barriers people of different intersectional identities may face in order to provide care. This care can improve our quality of life and even teach us something new about ourselves. I myself was skeptical that a therapist would be able to understand my unique identity as a BIPOC queer woman, yet through queer affirming therapy, I learned how my unique identity and how people engage with me was affecting things from my job performance to my ability for intimacy.

Queer affirming therapy is designed to support uniqueness, to foster understanding, acceptance and respect. Therapists are here to support you and meet you where you are, regardless of what that looks like. We are allowed to be selective in our choice of therapist and to ask hard questions before we invest in our mental health. How do we know if a therapist is a good fit? What do we ask them about during a consultation? Remember the key is intersectionality!

Ready for Queer Affirming Therapy?

2SLGBTQIA+ affirming therapy offers a supportive and validating approach for individuals seeking to understand and embrace their identities. Your journey towards self-discovery and well-being is important, and the right therapeutic support can help you navigate it with confidence and care. For individuals or couples in Kitchener, Cambridge or Waterloo, Queer Affirming Therapy is vital to their well-being.