A gay therapist follows the same guidelines as any other therapist, with the exception that he or she considers his or her clients’ sexual orientation. In general, any therapist should be able to work with patients of any sexual orientation, but some people prefer to work with a therapist who is explicitly gay affirmative. Although gay therapists are not always gay, being gay can make a patient feel like they have more in common with the professional. A gay therapist can help with problems that are unrelated to sexual orientation, but sexual orientation can also be the focus of therapy.
Many gay and bisexual people, like many heterosexuals, suffer from mental health issues. When seeking treatment, it is common for the patient and the therapist to need to build trust. Whether or not the mental health problem has anything to do with being gay, a gay therapist is often better at building trust with gay patients. This is because homosexuality has been treated as a mental disorder in some psychiatric circles, making it difficult for some gay people to find therapists who can treat homosexuality as non-deviant behavior.
When a person seeks mental health treatment for sexual identity issues, seeing a gay therapist can be a good way to get mentorship or even general advice on homosexuality. An explicitly gay-affirmative therapist can also make it easier for gay couples to get relationship help. In these situations, the therapist’s knowledge of gay sociology and community dynamics can be critical to the therapy’s success.
Certain issues affecting gay people can be addressed more easily by a gay therapist than by other types of therapists. With the help of a gay-affirming professional, dealing with gay relationship issues, HIV/AIDS, or coming out of the closet may be easier. Regardless of whether or not the therapist is gay, he or she must be well-versed in the physical realities of gay life. Understanding sexual practices as well as the cultural traditions of the gay community in a particular area is part of this.
Because there are so many different types of sexuality besides heterosexuality, a gay therapist is likely to work with lesbians, bisexuals, and even transgender people. This type of therapist usually focuses on sexuality, but sexuality can affect many aspects of life. In any case, even if a therapist is knowledgeable and experienced in this field, it is critical to ensure that any therapist providing treatment is properly trained and licensed. Seeing an unlicensed therapist, even if he or she appears to be knowledgeable, can be dangerous.