LGBTQ Issues, Intimacy Issues Body Centred Psychotherapy

LGBTQ Issues, Intimacy Issues

Counselling for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer individuals makes the transition to living true to yourself easier. While acceptance of GLBTQ people is on the rise, it can still be stressful for some. Speaking to someone about your fears and struggles can make the transition easier.


While GLBTQ people are more easily accepted than years ago, there are still some homophobic elements that discriminate against the movement and people who form part of it.

Despite the strides made in public acceptance by the GLBTQ community, they still face many issues that require psychological or counselling intervention. Depression caused by discrimination is one of the main issues that counselling addresses, as well as religious abuse, homophobic work and living conditions, self-destructive behavior, assault, and family estrangement or rejection.


HIV and AIDS issues are serious concerns faced by gay people who might be in denial and practice unsafe sex. Some people will develop anxiety about being tested, and coping with results, while others might face the trauma of caring for a loved one with AIDS.

In the past, GLBTQ counselling was not as freely available as it is today, but the demand has risen as the community realised that it offers a safe and non-judgmental environment for people to get help. Today, counselling helps thousands of people to live freely and healthily without a fear of judgment, through specific support services and counselling that helps Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people as well as their friends and families to live harmoniously.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with the GLBTQ commuity you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Intimacy issues are common for people who fear vulnerability. Some people can become vulnerable in front of a few trusted friends, however, but when a relationship starts becoming too close, they feel suffocated. In this sense, the intimacy issues are seated in the fear of developing a deep and meaningful relationship with another person.

Two fears that are at the heart of intimacy issues, are the fear of abandonment (fearing the partner might leave them) and the fear of engulfment (fearing that they would lose themselves in a relationship), which sometimes co-exist. These fears, often rooted in childhood traumas, are often deeply entrenched in codependent adult relationships where they cause friction.

A therapist who works with people who have intimacy issues will first help you to learn to become comfortable with yourself and accept yourself for who you are. You will explore the complex past events that have created these intimacy issues and discover that those events don't have to cloud your present experiences.

This process is essential in discovering that rejection does not have to be a traumatic experience. Finally, you will learn how to set personal boundaries that will help you to avoid the fear of engulfment and to cope, should abandonment occur. While healing intimacy issues can be a challenging and somewhat painful task, the rewards are incredible.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who addresses intimacy issues, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Body Centred Psychotherapy

Body centered psychotherapy is sometimes referred to as somatic psychotherapy. It combines a range of approaches that promote psychological health while considering the body's role in healing and life experience. People often repress the impulses, emotions and feelings that form part of our experiences, and body centered psychotherapy opens up their understanding and experience of these aspects.

This form of therapy offers a level of healing that is not often experienced in conventional talk therapy. The conscious controls verbal expression and maintenance of muscular tension. Those functions anchor and reinforce a person's characterological responses to their environment. Body centered psychotherapy helps patients to become aware of their physiological sensations, impulses and emotions to gain greater control over their thoughts and behaviours.

A body centered psychotherapy therapist will guide the client to increase body awareness to become conscious of their movements, breathing, and the way in which they speak.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers body centered psychotherapy therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Renee Bartkiewicz

M.A., RCC
  Renee Bartkiewicz is both a Registered Clinical Counsellor and an Art Therapist. In her inclusive, creative, and collaborative practice, she sees individuals that present with a variety of  issues... Read more
*Taking new clients*. My practice is here to help you to have honest conversations that start to uncover the areas in your life where you feel stuck or at a loss. Clients find that after only a few sessions they’... Read more