Services for the LGBTQIA+ Community

Supporting You with Affirming, Inclusive Care—Exactly as You Are

At Essential Insights Counseling Center, we believe everyone deserves a space where they feel safe, seen, and supported. We proudly offer LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy for individuals, couples, and families navigating a wide range of experiences. Whether you’re exploring your identity, processing past trauma, managing anxiety or depression, or preparing for the journey of parenthood, we’re here to walk alongside you.

We recognize that LGBTQIA+ individuals often carry the additional weight of societal stigma, discrimination, or invisibility in mental health settings. That’s why we’re committed to offering culturally responsive, identity-affirming care—grounded in empathy and backed by evidence-based practices.

Our LGBTQIA+ Affirming Services

Our LGBTQIA+ affirming therapists are experienced in supporting a wide range of needs and identities, including but not limited to:

  • Gender identity exploration and gender dysphoria

  • Coming out and navigating family or community dynamics

  • Affirming care for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive clients

  • Coping with discrimination, microaggressions, and internalized oppression

  • Navigating relationships, including polyamorous or non-monogamous structures

  • Support for LGBTQIA+ young adults

  • Managing anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health concerns

We work collaboratively with you to develop a therapy plan that honors your values and supports your goals, using evidence-based approaches in a way that is responsive to your lived experiences.

Perinatal and Postpartum Support for LGBTQIA+ and Nonbinary Parents

The path to parenthood can be joyful, overwhelming, and everything in between. For LGBTQIA+ and transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive parents, the perinatal and postpartum period often includes added layers of complexity—such as navigating gendered healthcare systems, facing stigma or exclusion, and feeling isolated or invalidated in traditional parenting spaces.

You are not alone. Studies show that LGBTQIA+ individuals are at increased risk for perinatal mental health challenges. In fact, research has found that transgender and nonbinary birthing people may experience postpartum depression earlier and at rates even higher than cisgender women—largely due to lack of affirming care, social support, and trauma histories.

We offer affirming perinatal and postpartum care tailored to the unique experiences of LGBTQIA+ families, including:

  • Mental health support during pregnancy, fertility journeys, and postpartum recovery

  • Trauma-informed care for birth-related trauma or previous medical mistreatment

  • Grief support for pregnancy loss or infertility

  • Identity support for nonbinary and trans parents navigating bodily changes and societal expectations

  • Space to process family-building journeys that may look different than societal norms

  • Postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression and anxiety

Therapy can help by providing:

  • A safe space to process identity, dysphoria, and shifting roles during pregnancy and postpartum

  • Support for managing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), including postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD

  • Tools to cope with fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, or trauma from prior medical experiences

  • Affirming guidance on navigating family-building options such as adoption, surrogacy, or assisted reproductive technologies

  • Strategies for building supportive partnerships, co-parenting, or solo parenting

  • Validation and connection during a time when you may feel invisible in conventional care systems

Our therapists understand that families are formed in many different ways—and that every journey to parenthood deserves respect, support, and care.

“A family is a family not because of gender but because of values, like commitment, trust and love.”

— Gray Davis

Our Approach

We are not a one-size-fits-all practice. We meet you where you are—with curiosity, respect, and affirmation. Our therapists integrate a range of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), trauma-informed care, and relational frameworks—all while centering your identity and values.

We believe in transparency, collaboration, and building a relationship that helps you feel safe and empowered in therapy. Whether you’re exploring new parts of your identity or navigating ongoing challenges, we are here to walk with you every step of the way.

You Deserve Affirming, Accessible Care

Finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming—especially if you’ve had past experiences where you weren’t affirmed, believed, or supported. Our intake process is designed to make things easier. You’ll have a chance to speak with our intake coordinator, share what you’re looking for, and get matched with a therapist who’s a good fit.

We are committed to providing LGBTQIA+ affirming care that is not only inclusive—but also deeply informed by ongoing education, lived experience, and a genuine desire to support healing and empowerment in our community.

You are welcome here. Just as you are.

“It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.”

— Laverne Cox

Clinicians Who Have Particular Expertise or Training in Working with Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community

  • Gavin Fraser, MSW (they/he)

    Gavin identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and has experience in working with members of that community in general. He also specializes in providing perinatal/postpartum care to this community of clients.

    Read More About Gavin

  • Laura McCabe, LMHC, ATR (she/her)

    Laura has many years of experience in working with the LGBTQIA+ community and is trans-competent.

    Read More About Lauren

  • Peter O'Brien, MS (he/him)

    Peter identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and has experience in working with these clients on a range of issues.

    Tead More About Peter

  • Andrew Sullivan, LICSW (he/him)

    Andrew has many years of experience in working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community and is trans-competent.

    Read More About Andrew

Take the First Step Toward Healing and Hope

If you or a loved one is facing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, Essential Insights Counseling Center is here to help. Contact us today to start your journey toward a healthier, more balanced path to parenthood. Together, we’ll turn this transition into one of resilience and growth.

To begin, schedule a free 15-minute consultation through our online scheduler below. In this call, our intake coordinator will listen to your needs, answer your questions, and connect you with the best therapist to support you.