Stigma, in any form, is an impediment to the well-being of those who experience it. Folks in LGBTQ+ communities are still often confronted with significant stress from stigmas such as homophobia, prejudice, fear of coming out, and discrimination. This is one of the reasons finding the right supports—supports that are LGBTQ+ affirming—is important for your health and well-being. If you are looking for LGBTQ+ affirming counselling in Winnipeg, you have come to the right place. And we are so glad you are here today.
Stigma-Free LGBTQ+ Affirming Counselling in Winnipeg
Do you live outside of the heteronormative-cisgender box? Could you use a safe space to process your feelings and assess your goals?
If you can relate to the above, then you’ve come to the right place. No judgments. No stigmas. Just strong support with open ears.
How Can LGBTQ+ Affirming Counselling in Winnipeg Help?
At Empower Counselling Services Winnipeg we celebrate diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity. When our clients come to therapy for help with a specific issue, we do not assume that your problem is in any way related to your sexuality or gender identity. Our focus is to help with the issue(s) that you identify as bringing you to therapy.
If you come to therapy for help with mental health struggles, relationship problems, self-esteem, trauma, or any other struggle, we will not assume that your struggle is somehow related to your gender identity or sexual orientation. We also won’t assume they are not related. We will do our best to follow your lead.
The Source of Pain
Living in a world that was built on strict views around sex, gender roles, and heteronormative-cisgender social constructs, has not been and continues to not be easy for folks in the LGBTQ+ communities. Although the original source of distress for queer folks would often be entirely unrelated to sexual orientation or gender identity, the pain of living in society’s social constructs often gets sexuality and gender identity wrapped up in the pain. As a result, in addition to experiencing the normal human struggles such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationships, trauma, PTSD, etc., queer folks often have to live with the added pain of being told that your sexuality and/or gender identity is somehow the reason for your struggles and pain. This kind of stigma denies you the right to struggle with common human struggles.
What Brings Queer Folks to Therapy?
The quick answer is, the same plethora of struggles humans struggle with, such as:
- Career struggles
- Relationships
- Self Esteem
- Anxiety
- Perfectionism
- Trauma and PTSD
- C-PTSD
- Other mental health struggles
- Family issues
However, due to a long history of patriarchy, religious oppression, capitalism, and strict heterosexual-cisgender social constructs, queer folks often have to deal with additional struggles on top of the common human pains and struggles, such as:
- Discrimination in the workplace
- Sexual and gender discrimination
- Discrimination from health care professionals
- Religious abuse
- Stereotypes on the news
- Hetero-sexism
- Mono-sexism
- Discrimination of many types
- Negative assumptions
Finding an LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapist in Winnipeg
As LGBTQ+ affirming therapists, our therapists are committed to helping clients of all genders and sexual orientations feel not only safe but also truly respected. If you would like to explore stigma-free, LGBTQ+ affirming therapy in Winnipeg, we want you to know that we are here to help.
Let’s take the next step, together!
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