Celebrating Pride Month as an LGBTQIA+ Affirming Marriage and Family Therapist

As an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist, Pride Month offers a chance to celebrate the resilience and strength of the LGBTQIA+ community while also reflecting on the work that remains.

By Julie Jensen, LMFT

 

 

Every June, the pride flags come out, pride parades show up around the world, and some of us will wear our favorite rainbow t-shirts. It is beautiful to see people embrace themselves unapologetically, especially here in Madison, where we have a strong and inclusive LGBTQIA+ community.

 

Pride Month Through a Systemic Therapy Lens

While pride is a month of celebration, Pride represents something profound and essential to systemic mental health beneath the rainbows. We are all part of a larger story. None of us exist in isolation.

Instead, we are shaped by our work, friendships, families, communities, and even our pets. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I view Pride through a specific systemic lens that acknowledges all of those outside factors that impact us. As a therapist who works with the LGBTQ+ community, I must always keep that in mind.

How Family and Community Impact LGBTQIA+ Mental Health

The outside world can still be a harsh, rejecting place for queer individuals, couples and families. Research from relationship experts, like those at  The Gottman Institute, shows that discrimination and hate can affect entire family systems.

The Importance of Chosen Family and Affirming Relationships

Many LGBTQIA+ clients carry deep wounds from family-of-origin rejection. Part of my role is providing a space where clients feel understood and supported while helping them build a chosen family. This means building a network of peers and partners who offer you unconditional validation.

When Families Move Beyond Tolerance to Affirmation

However, we are also seeing a beautiful shift: more biological families are doing the work to unlearn old biases and actively embrace their queer children. Pride Month is a reminder for parents and caregivers that accepting a loved one’s gender identity and sexual orientation directly protects their mental wellness and life. True systemic family health means moving past tolerance into active, celebratory affirmation.

Creating an LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy Space

To me, as an ally and a clinician, pride month doesn’t just happen in June. In my office, I have a pride flag and display art from a local artist: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Transpainter?ref=shop_sugg_market to make it clear to anyone who comes in my office that they are accepted as they are.

I honor and affirm identities, pronouns, names and expressions. I also practice cultural humility, acknowledging that their experiences are not my own. Nonetheless, I am here to hold their truth with them.

Seeing the Whole Person

And while I make a concerted effort to be aware of the unique challenges of the Queer community, most of the time, I don’t really think about it. When an LGBTQ+ client walks through my door, I am mindful that identity, safety, belonging, and lived experience may shape their story. At the same time, I am meeting a person, not a category. I will always offer a space where you are welcome for who you are. No single part of you has to explain or define the whole.

 

HEART Counseling is familiar with the WPATH Standards of Care. Wherever you are in your journey, we are committed to supporting you.

Click Here To Learn More About the WPATH Standards of Care

 

About the Author: Julie Jensen, LMFT, provides LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy in Madison, Wisconsin, and helps individuals, couples, and families navigate trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and relationship challenges.