LGBTQ+ Counseling

in Portland, OR

Are You Tired of Searching for a Therapist Who Actually Gets It?

Do you feel exhausted by the thought of having to educate yet another therapist about your identity, relationship structure, or community?
Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, or relationship challenges while also holding queer or LGBTQ identities in a world that isn’t always affirming?
Have you experienced discrimination, rejection, or internalized shame that keeps you from living authentically?
Do you long to work with a therapist who truly understands minority stress and can help you build resilience?

Finding affirming LGBTQ counseling care shouldn’t feel like an additional burden. You deserve therapy that allows you to focus on healing, not teaching.

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You Are Not Alone and Your Struggles Are Valid

The Weight of Living in a Cisheteronormative World

Whether you’re navigating coming out, exploring your gender and/or sexual identity, or managing the impacts of discrimination, being a queer person in a cisheteronormative world can be exhausting. You might find yourself constantly calculating how out or visible you can be in different spaces, monitoring your pronouns at work, changing how you dress or express yourself in certain environments, or avoiding conversations about your personal life to stay safe.

This kind of chronic self-monitoring takes a real toll. Research consistently shows that LGBTQIA2S+ people face unique stressors: fear of rejection, systemic discrimination, internalized negative messages, and the ongoing effort of navigating spaces that weren’t designed with you in mind. For transgender and non-binary individuals, gender dysphoria and gatekeeping in healthcare systems add additional layers of stress. These aren’t just abstract concepts. They show up in daily life. The anxiety before family gatherings. The hypervigilance in public spaces. The exhaustion from code-switching. The relationship struggles that emerge when you’re healing from shame or trauma. The depression that can come from hiding parts of yourself or experiencing rejection from people you love. We understand these struggles and the impact they can have.

You are NOT the problem. The increased rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms that LGBTQIA2S+ people experience are directly linked to the cumulative impact of systemic discrimination, stigma, and marginalization, not to anything inherent in who you are.

The Challenge of Finding Competent LGBTQ Counseling

Perhaps you’ve tried therapy before and had to spend sessions explaining what it means to be non-binary, or defending your relationship structure, or correcting your therapist’s assumptions. Maybe you’ve encountered well-meaning providers who simply lacked the training or lived experience to provide truly affirming care. The thought of starting over with someone new feels daunting.

You might be in a relationship that doesn’t fit traditional models including ethically non-monogamous, polyamorous, or kink-involved, and worry about being judged or misunderstood. Or You’re seeking gender-affirming therapy or counseling related to your gender-identity and need a provider who can competently support you through transition without pathologizing your experience.

With the right LGBTQ-affirming therapist, you can build a life guided by your values, heal from discrimination and rejection, and develop the resilience to navigate the world as your authentic, empowered self.

Healing Is Possible

The good news is that with compassionate, evidence-based, and affirming therapy, you can develop skills to manage minority stress, heal from trauma, and build a meaningful life aligned with your values. Evidence-based approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have been shown to be highly effective for LGBTQ individuals when delivered by affirming, competent providers.

LGBTQ-Affirming Therapy That's Grounded in Science

At Portland Psychotherapy, we’ve spent over a decade building a practice where the majority of our clients identify as queer or members of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities. You won’t be an outlier here; you’ll be among others who share or have similar identities. Portland Psychotherapy is proud to be certified by the Oregon Health Authority as a specialized provider of Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, reflecting our deep and longstanding commitment to serving this community.

You Can Focus on Healing, Not Teaching

Our approach to therapy means you don’t have to spend your sessions explaining your identity or relationship structure. Our clinicians are trained in minority stress, trauma-informed care, and inclusive relationship practices.

Many of our staff are members of the local LGBTQIA2S+ community. We provide ongoing clinical training and supervision for every counselor related to working with LGBTQ clients. We offer identity-conscious provider matching when requested, and our environment includes gender inclusive restrooms and inclusive paperwork.

Evidence-Based Approaches Tailored to Your Values

We specialize in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy with strong research support for treating anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship challenges. ACT helps you notice and unhook from difficult thoughts and feelings, take steps that matter to you, and build a life guided by your values—not by shame, fear, or others’ expectations.

In practical terms, this means we help you:

Develop skills to respond more effectively to difficult thoughts and feelings
Clarify your values around identity, relationships, family, and community
Build skills for managing minority stress and navigating unsafe environments
Work through internalized shame and negative self-talk
Navigate coming out decisions or identity disclosure with intention rather than pressure
Strengthen relationships and address patterns rooted in trauma or hiding

What to Expect in Sessions

We begin by understanding what matters most to you and what you want to get out of therapy. This is a collaborative process. You’re the expert on your own life. If you’re new to therapy, we encourage you to voice what you’re looking for in a provider, as the decision to work together is absolutely mutual.

Your therapist will pace sessions to your needs, center your choices and consent, and when relevant, collaborate with you on safety planning.

Our competencies include:

Affirming care for trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive clients
Gender-affirming therapy, including support with social (e.g. documentation) and medical transition needs (e.g. letters of support). Transgender therapy, including help with documentation when appropriate
LGBTQ-affirming relationship therapy for all relationship structures and practices including ENM, polyamory, and kink-affirming therapy
Support for teens, families, and allies
Navigation of medical systems and community resources
Evidence-based treatment of trauma, anxiety, and depression through a minority stress lens

Portland Psychotherapy’s Unique Scientist-Practitioner Approach

What sets Portland Psychotherapy apart is our commitment to the scientist-practitioner model. As a research and training center, our clinicians stay current with advances in evidence-based care and bring that knowledge directly into their clinical work. We are a unique organization built on a social enterprise model: the profits from our clinical services fund ongoing research on topics including shame, stigma, and trauma.

But You May Still Have Questions...

What if I'm not sure I can afford therapy?

We’re committed to making LGBTQ-affirming therapy accessible to all in our community. We’re in-network with several insurance plans including PacificSource, Oregon Health Plan (OHP), CareOregon, and Trillium. We can work with all insurance plans’ out-of-network benefits and will take care of all the billing for you. We can help you understand your options and costs before you begin.

I've had a bad experience with a therapist before. How do I know this will be different?

That’s a completely valid concern, and we’re sorry you experienced that. The difference here is that affirming care isn’t just something we offer, it’s who we primarily serve. In a recent census, about 60% of our clients identified as queer or members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Our providers receive ongoing training and supervision specific to serving the needs of those in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. You won’t have to wonder if your therapist is competent or truly affirming; it’s built into the foundation of our practice. We also offer free phone consultations so you can get a sense of fit before committing.

What if my needs are complex or don't fit into neat categories?

That’s actually the norm, not the exception. Our therapists understand intersectionality including how your gender and sexual identities intersect with race, ability status, neurodivergence, body size, class, and other identities. We honor all relationship structures, including ENM and polyamory. We’re kink-affirming. We support people at all stages of identity exploration, from questioning to affirming your identity as desired. And we recognize that you might be coming to therapy for reasons that have nothing directly to do with your LGBTQ identity, like career stress, life transitions, or grief, while still wanting a provider who understands this important part of who you are.

Portland Psychotherapy

You Deserve Affirming Care That Actually Works

If you’re ready to work with a therapist who brings both genuine understanding and evidence-based expertise, we invite you to reach out. We offer free phone consultations to help you determine if our approach is the right fit and to find a therapist who meets your needs. We offer both in-person and telehealth sessions.

Contact us today at 503-281-4852 or online. We typically respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.

3719 N Williams Ave,
Portland, OR 97227