Counselling where you can be yourself

Finding a therapist you can trust is something most people have to think about. For LGBTQIA+ people, there is often an additional layer — the question of whether the person sitting opposite you genuinely understands your experience, or whether you’ll find yourself spending the session educating them rather than being supported by them.

At Hope Therapy, we have a team of counsellors and therapists who bring specific experience of working with LGBTQIA+ clients. Some identify as LGBTQIA+ themselves. Others are experienced allies who have undertaken additional training and supervision in this area. What they share is a genuine, non-judgmental understanding of the particular pressures, joys, and complexities of LGBTQIA+ life — and a commitment to providing support that meets you where you are, not where someone else thinks you should be.

You might come to us with something clearly connected to your identity — navigating coming out, managing a relationship, working through internalised shame, or processing the impact of discrimination or family rejection. Or you might come with something that has nothing to do with your identity, and simply want a therapist who won’t make it awkward. Both are equally valid. Our counselling is for LGBTQIA+ people in the fullest sense — supporting the whole person, not just one part of who you are.

Hope Therapy is an affirming practice. We are clear that sexual orientation and gender identity are not pathologies, disorders, or problems to be corrected — this is our position as an organisation and the ethical standard to which all our therapists are held. We work in line with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) code, which explicitly states that homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender identities, and asexuality are not mental disorders or indicative of developmental arrest. We also align with the BACP’s position, which prohibits any form of conversion practice.

When you work with a Hope Therapy counsellor, you can be confident that your identity is respected, that the work is not directed towards any kind of change in who you are, and that your therapist is there to support your wellbeing — on your terms, and in whichever direction feels right for you.

Sessions are confidential. There are limited circumstances where confidentiality may need to change — for example, if there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else — and your therapist will explain these clearly before you begin.