Sexuality and Counselling Support
Sexuality and Counselling Support. If you are struggling with your sexuality or want to discuss how you feel with a professional, I provide a safe and confidential environment for you to reflect on and explore your feelings and help you to come to a place of acceptance and feeling normal.
According to Brook
“Sexual Orientation is how a person feels sexually about people of various genders”
You may have heard the term LGBTQ+
This stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. The + allows the term to include other identities beyond the acronym.
Our sexual orientation is not something we can control or can choose.
- If you are sexually attracted to people who are the same gender as you, you might identify as gay, lesbian or queer.
- If you are sexually attracted to someone who is a different gender to you, you might identify as straight
- If you are sexually attracted to more than one gender you might identify as bisexual.
- If you are not sexually attracted to anyone you might identify as asexual.
These are just some ways to describe or talk about sexuality and sexual orientation. Over the years the language and terms used around sexuality has evolved and developed. It can be really useful to have an understanding of some of the terms. The Brook website has a really comprehensive list of definitions here.
If you are struggling to come to terms with your sexuality you may be experiencing depression. The research shows that if you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender then you are more likely to struggle with your mental health compared to the general population.
A Stonewall report from 2012 found that:
- 22% of gay and bisexual men experience moderate to severe depression
- 79% of lesbian and bisexual women felt sad, miserable, or depressed in that year
For trans people rates are even higher according to CliniQ and Gires:
- Over 80% of trans people experience depression.
However you are struggling with your sexuality, whatever you age or background, whether you have come out or not, if you want to talk to someone in confidence please Call me on 07843 813537. Please leave a message if I can’t answer your call and I’ll call you back as soon as possible. If you have any other questions or enquiries please call or send me a message by completing the online enquiry form. Due to COVID I am currently working exclusively online or on the telephone.