Affirming therapy starts from the understanding that being LGBTQIA+ is not a problem to be treated. Whatever brings you — anxiety, relationships, family, identity, or simply wanting a therapist who gets it — you should not have to explain or defend who you are before the work can begin.
Practitioners at OneBodyMind include people with a special interest in the intersection of gender and sexual diversity with Autism and ADHD — an overlap that is increasingly recognised in research and in clinical practice.
Affirming therapy uses the same evidence-based approaches as any other — CBT, ACT, schema and trauma-focused work — with an explicit understanding of minority stress and of the systems people move through. It does not treat identity as the target of therapy. For neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ clients, neurodiversity-affirming practice and affirming care are combined rather than treated as separate issues: masking, sensory needs, communication style and identity are understood together.
Practitioners choose the approach that fits you — see each profile for the approaches they use, or read the plain-language guide to types of therapy. Further reading: LGBTIQ+ Health Australia · QLife — peer support 3pm to midnight, 1800 184 527.
Practitioners differ in what they provide. When you contact a practitioner, tell them what you are looking for and they will say whether it is within their scope or refer you on.
Yes. What you share stays between you and your practitioner, with the limited legal exceptions every practitioner explains at the outset. Your identity is never something that needs to be disclosed to anyone else.
Yes. Face-to-face in Rose Park and telehealth sessions are both available, which matters for people who prefer privacy or live further away.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency. OneBodyMind is not a crisis service. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636.