Gender Identity Issues, Intimacy Issues Brief Therapy

Gender Identity Issues, Intimacy Issues

Gender identity issues can make a person feel that nature has played a cruel trick, leaving them living in a body and role that is contrary to what they feel inside. However, as society becomes more accepting of gay and lesbian individuals it is also becoming much easier for people to admit that they are transgender than ever before. However, therapy can help people with gender dysphoria to cope with gender identity issues.

Most people with gender dysphoria prefer the term transgender as they deal with the social expectations of living a life that is authentic to their own emotions while conforming to their birth gender.

Whether you are confused about the possibility that you might be transgender, or whether you have accepted the reality, it is a good idea to speak to a therapist. If you are considering gender reassignment surgery, therapy will help you prepare for the psychological impact of the decision.

Living in your gender of choice will take a lot of courage, as well as some experimentation. You will have to learn how to find a congruent appearance, and explore different ways for you to present your body so that it relates to your true gender.

Counselling from a therapist trained in gender identity issues will provide a nurturing and non-judgmental environment for you to explore your emotions, fears and feelings regarding what is happening for you.  Individual and group therapies are common for gender dysphoric patients, while family therapy can help foster better communication, and understanding. Family therapy can help deal with conflicts that can arise from gender dysphoria.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers gender identity counselling to address your gender dysphoria issues 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.

Brief Therapy, Family Systems, Narrative Therapy, Online / Virtual / Telehealth Counselling

Brief therapy focuses on a client's present and future, rather than his or her past and it builds solutions. Many brief therapists never explore their clients' past problems, but rather focus on the present with goals for creating a positive future.

Psychologists who offer brief therapy take a more pro-active approach to offer faster care for subjective and clinical conditions. This type of therapy creates natural resources and temporarily suspends disbelief to help the client consider a range of new viewpoints or perspectives. It provides a wider context for the client to view the present, and better understandings that can bring about spontaneous change.

Unlike other therapies that focus on the problem, brief therapy is solution-based. It removes the factors that sustain a problem and prevent change. Brief therapists understands that there are many approaches that, combined, can bring about ultimate success.

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

Family Systems therapy is a type of counselling specific to helping interpersonal relationships within a family system. Family Systems counselling is facilitated by marriage and family therapists who work with the various family combinations, including siblings, couples, parent and child, or step families.

The principle of family systems counselling is to help each individual to first learn to understand his or her own emotions, and how to manage interpersonal relationships effectively, as that influences all future relationships. Once family members understand themselves and the emotional system within the family, it is easier to be flexible in relationships with family  members, marriages, community, school and other relationships.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Family Systems Therapies, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Narrative Therapy provides clients the opportunity to regain their ability to develop positive relationships by healing past wounds. It can be used in individual, family, adoption and couples contexts.

This type of therapy offers a respectful and non-blaming approach which acknowledges each person as the author of his or her own life. Narrative therapy assumes that people have a range of inner resources that help them deal with difficulties and problems in their lives.

Narrative therapy can be used with children, adults, in groups, couples and individuals. It can help them cope with traumatic events without the need to discuss it directly.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Narrative Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Online Counselling or Online Internet Psychotherapy uses common technology to create major shifts in clients' emotional health. It is suitable to clients who wish to enjoy therapy from the comfort of their own homes, and therapists have noticed an increase in patients seeking help using this medium.

In order to attend online counselling sessions, clients and the therapist need access to fast internet connections and webcams. Online counselling is particularly useful for clients who can't leave home, or live far away from a therapist.

While online counselling is effective for helping with anxiety and other emotional conditions, it does not replace medical assistance in emergencies.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Online Counselling, please browse our list of practitioners below..

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

Rachel Moxham

M.A., RCC
    • Video on profile
My relational and feminist approach to counselling emphasizes the mutual formation of people through their relationships. With it, I support you in finding your own self in the tangle of relations with friends, family,... Read more

Sandy Boon

M.A., RCC
IN PERSON AND SECURE VIDEO-CONFERENCE AND TELEPHONE THERAPY AVAILABLE Although not all of the last 30 plus years of Sandy's professional career has been spent exclusively practicing therapy, Sandy has... Read more

Nash Tawfik

M.A., RCC
    • Online booking
In life's journey, we often encounter crossroads that can feel daunting to navigate alone. Let me extend a warm invitation for us to embark on a path of self-discovery, healing, and growth together. My goal is to... Read more

Jon Dickson

M.A., CCC
    • Video on profile
    • Blog on profile
    • Online booking
Asking yourself questions like these: Is this authentic for me? Can I be me? Am I allowed to be myself? What is life asking me at this time? These important Life questions are openings, invitations, and horizons for... Read more