LGBTQIA+ Support
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If you are interested in counseling, call OakHeart at 630-570-0050 or 779-201-6440 or email us at [email protected]. We have counselors, psychologists, and social workers available to help you at one of our locations in North Aurora, IL, Sycamore, IL, and/or via Telehealth Online Therapy Services serving Kane County, DeKalb County, Dupage County, and beyond.
Identity consists of multiple parts of the self; parts that have been around since the person was born, parts that have evolved, and new parts that develop over time. Most importantly, we define those parts for ourselves. Human beings are social creatures and naturally we want to feel a sense of belonging with others, so it is necessary to feel supported, included, and affirmed. Regardless, all identities fall onto a spectrum, allowing for further uniqueness and individuality. Specifically, gender identity and sexual orientation are defined below.
Gender identity is the internal perception of one’s gender, and how they label themselves, based on how much they align or do not align with what they understand their options for gender to be. Gender identity is often combined with biological sex, or sex assigned at birth, but it does not mean that the individual identifies this way. Sexual orientation is the type of romantic, sexual, emotional, spiritual attraction one has the capacity to feel for some others. This is generally labeled based on the gender relationship between the person and the people they are attracted to. Sexual orientation is frequently confused with sexual preference but they are not the same. The following list is neither comprehensive nor undeniable, but it is a constantly improving list of terminology relating to LGBTQ+ identities & people, sexualities, and genders: |
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Preferred Pronouns:
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What is LGBTQA+ Support?
At OakHeart, we celebrate identity and offer affirming support. Unfortunately, many people within the LGBTQ+ community experience rejection, shaming, and other negative reactions from family, friends, and society. Many experience a great deal of trauma as a result of this. Whether you are struggling to come out, want to process certain events in your life, would like to explore aspects of your identity, or just want to be heard, we provide a safe place to do this. Your identity is not an issue, it makes up wonderful parts of you, and you deserve to feel congruent and affirmed within it.
In therapy, you have the option to bring in family members, friends, or loved ones to assist in your care or communicating with them. We will also help you find support groups in the area and additional affirming and safe resources. Our therapists are allies and we are proud to serve you. Please feel free to let us know your preferred pronouns, name, sexual identity, and gender identity.
In therapy, you have the option to bring in family members, friends, or loved ones to assist in your care or communicating with them. We will also help you find support groups in the area and additional affirming and safe resources. Our therapists are allies and we are proud to serve you. Please feel free to let us know your preferred pronouns, name, sexual identity, and gender identity.
Resources
LGBTQIA+ Support Blogs
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Finding a therapist who is well-informed about gender, gender-affirming care, and the infinite varieties in gender experience and expression can be difficult. Progress has been made over the years in terms of education about and acceptance of transgender (trans) and gender non-conforming people. However, it can still be daunting to find a therapist who you can feel safe with being honest about your gender. And, even when you are able to find a therapist that you might feel safe with as a trans or gender non/conforming person, not knowing what to expect in therapy with a gender-affirming therapist may be scary. My hope through this blog post is to explain some of the things you may see in your work with a gender-affirming therapist, and share a little bit about the way that I practice as one of these therapists...(to read more, click on the link above).
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