Queer Knowledgeable Vs Queer Friendly Therapy

Many 2SLGBTQIA+ people feel as though they need to educate their therapists about their identities, experiences, and the nuances of their communities and relationships. A lack of knowledge about 2SLGBTQIA+ clients can lead to microaggressions and undermine safety for clients. Often, identifying as an ally or even being a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is not sufficient to offer affirming services to the entire spectrum of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities. A therapist who is queer friendly provides a warm space for 2SLGBTQIA+ clients, but isn’t necessarily knowledgeable and affirming. A therapist who is 2SLGBTQIA+ knowledgeable knows local community resources, pays attention to terminology at the level of the community and the individual, and stays current on literature relevant to the 2SLGBTQIA+ population.

Challenging Oppression

It’s critical for therapists who want to affirm their 2SLGBTQIA+ clients to do what they can to disrupt homophobia and transphobia. If your practitioner isn’t a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+, it’s okay to be curious about how they see their duty of care extending beyond the therapy session and into broader advocacy and social justice work. Even if your therapist identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+, you may still want to ask how they approach advocacy and anti-oppressive practice in their professional and personal life.

Self-Reflection

It’s also critical for 2SLGBTQIA+ competent therapists to have deeply reflected on their own gender and sexual journeys. This enables therapists to explore what beliefs about gender and sexuality they were raised with and how that impacts them personally and professionally. Self-reflection also enables practitioners to identify where their knowledge of the community is lacking and to work toward making their practices safer and more affirming for 2SLGBTQIA+ clients.

Understand Intersectionality

2SLGBTQIA+ people have complex identities and experiences. Understanding the ways that individuals experience their genders and sexualities in the larger context of other experiences, identities, and cultures is necessary in order to provide truly affirming care.