Highly trained therapists
Passionate therapists who take their work seriously
Variety to therapeutic approaches to suit all client needs
Trauma informed care
Empowering & affirming the LGBTQIA+ community across Connecticut
Inclusivity is a tenet of our mission, not a box to check
Several years of experience, 3 years proudly serving Fairfield County
Offering in-person and online therapy
3 of the Best LGBTQIA+ Therapists in Connecticut
Takeaway: Finding a therapist who truly affirms your identity is key to building a space for healing and growth. At our Danbury, CT practice, we provide LGBTQ-affirming care that honors your unique experiences with compassion and inclusivity. Together, we’ll find your unique path toward wellness. Contact us today to get started.
About Cope & Calm Counseling
At Cope & Calm Counseling, we aim to foster a true sense of belonging. We are so happy that you are here and are eager to share this therapeutic experience with you. Although we are super serious about our work, we aren't stoic figures in our work. The best therapy outcomes result from a true connection with a therapist. In order for us to help you, we have to know the real you. We hold ourselves to that same expectation. Our therapists come into a session as our authentic, yet professional selves.
Our goal as mental health providers is to help you feel less alone. We will help you see your strengths and gifts so that you feel empowered in your healing. Then we will work on building self-compassion so that you can get those strengths to work for you.
In a nutshell, we will listen to your story and identify some of your pesky thoughts and behaviors. Then we will develop insights with self-compassion. With this understanding, we can determine what coping skills would better serve you.
We aim to offer compassionate care in an affirming space. We treat mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder. We specialize in anxiety, eating disorders, OCD, and trauma. We see many clients with complex intersectional identities that require differentiated treatment. We support clients with a variety of concerns, such as relationship issues, family conflict, gender dysphoria, and mental health concerns.
Meet our top-rated Connecticut LGBTQ Therapists
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1. Amber Young
Amber Young is a fully licensed therapist and will often say that her job is her hobby. She has a passion for her work and is always learning something new. She is able to see her clients' strengths as they tell their story, and she loves to help them understand themselves with self-compassion. When clients are struggling to change old behaviors, she will often say, "Our brains are wired to keep us alive, not keep us happy". Amber has received specialized therapist training and consultation about LGBTQ counseling. She has treated many clients exploring their gender identity. She is highly experienced in treating adult clients from the LGBTQ community and is skilled at addressing the unique challenges that impact their day-to-day life.
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2. Ashley DeFreitas
Ashley DeFreitas has a way of making everyone feel welcome in her therapeutic work. As a therapist, she exhibits a skilled inquiry style in her practice, and she has a genuine curiosity about everyone that she meets. She has received training and sought consultations in order to become a better LGBT ally and affirming therapist.
How to get started
Reach out!
Ready to meet your therapist? The first step is to connect. You can call or text our intake coordinator at (203) 903 8010. Or you can submit a request on our website, and she will reach out to you.
Get to know us. Get to know you.
To make sure we provide the right therapist, we will collect some information about you. We want to make sure that we are fully capable of treating you for your specific goals. Our intake coordinator uses this information to match you to the best-fit therapist. Then she will share a bit about our practice, so that you can decide if we are a good fit for you. This is a great time to ask any questions that you may have.
Pick a time.
On that very same call, you can book your first appointment with your therapist. Once booked, you will receive some paperwork via email needing some easy e-signatures. Then you are good to go!
Get started.
You will receive a warm welcome and competent support from a highly trained, caring, and LGBTQAI informed clinician. Then you can celebrate getting one step closer to improving your well-being.
Why choose us for LGBTQ counseling in Connecticut
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We recognize that the therapeutic relationship is an odd one. It is very intimate and requires a lot of vulnerability. It can be hard to know if it is safe to be vulnerable with someone, even a therapist. This is especially true if you identify with a marginalized community. Whether you are a lesbian, gay, straight, queer, transgender--We want to be very clear that all are welcome here to share about their authentic life.
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We prioritize inclusivity. We participate in trainings to help us challenge any indoctrinated biases. You deserve and will receive a high standard of care. Your treatment will consider the specific challenges that come with living and loving outside of the heteronorm.
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Your freedom is my freedom. Your liberation is my liberation. Your healing is my healing. We aim to provide a service that makes you feel supported. It lets us treat our clients' intersecting identities and their unique needs. We want our clients to feel free to explore their identity and story in a supportive environment.Common reasons why people start counseling
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Do you feel alone? Is it hard for people to "get" you? Do you often question yourself when facing a problem? Do you worry that you are making too big of a deal of things or that you "should" just know how to handle this?
You aren't alone. These are common struggles that callers want support with when they seek therapy. Even those who love us and have the best intentions can alienate us and make us feel judged or misunderstood.
A mental health provider from Cope & Calm Counseling will help you feel seen. More importantly, they will help you see all the beautiful parts of yourself. We know you have your chosen family in the LGBTQ community, and we would love to be a part of it.
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Listen, we have come a long way, but there is still work to do. It can feel like the world wants to put to bed the issue of discrimination and prejudice. This oversight can compel us to "fit in", pass, or keep the status quo. If you have a marginalized identity, you may learn to mask to meet this need. You may fear misrepresenting a whole group due to stereotype threat. As a mental health provider, we know that this can cause hyper-vigilance, worry, and anxiety.
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We all want to fit in when we are growing up. We want to stand out, but by being just like everyone else. This can lead to the suppression of any characteristics that we deem unlikable. For LGBT youth, that may lead to a delayed exploration of their sexuality and personality. This exploration is necessary to develop comfort in our own skin. When we are comfortable in our bodies, we can play with our humor, kindness, and expression. Let us support you in that exploration.
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There is nothing simple about any part of our identity. Most of us don't fit neatly in to a predetermined box. Those who are gender nonconforming know that all too well. Playing with gender expression is often seen as a threat. It's pathologized and feared, rather than celebrated. Gender nonconforming people have some of the highest rates of suicidal ideation. As affirmative therapists, we want you to feel safe. We want you to explore the beauty in how you simply are. We can help with some of the darkest, toughest challenges. But, the narrative for the LGBTQ community often focuses on the hardships. We aim to make space to support the joy too.
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All millenials know that life is just one world crisis after another natural disaster or unveiled conspiracy. It is hard. It is exhausting. And, because we are all trying to do things in a different way, we have no road map for how to get to the bigger. Adding in depression, anxiety, and queer marginalization leads to a lot of distress. Mental health professionals can be objective, caring listeners supporting you with that navigation.
When another practice might be a better fit for your needs
You want a very clinical vibe.
We take our work very seriously, but we don't want our sessions to feel rigid and corporate. We practice what we preach, and we come to sessions as our authentic selves to forge a genuine connection.
You don't want to practice introspection.
We will ask you to look inward a lot. Yes, we will ask "How did you feel about that?" in a variety of ways. This can be uncomfortable. We can help you through that discomfort. We can find the unmet need causing your distress.
You aren't open to suggestions and learning.
Sometimes, it's best to just hold space for the client. Encourage them to express themselves. We will support you in changing maladaptive behaviors and patterns that we observe. We want to share coping skills to practice outside the session. We will also provide feedback on how to challenge mindsets and beliefs.
FAQs
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LGBTQ affirming therapy requires that a therapist challenge biases. These biases often lead to defaulting to certain cultural norms. That could mean using photos of families with same-sex parents in your ads. Or, it could mean displaying a flag or LGBTQ literature in your office. We must speak with intention about relationships, sexual orientation, and mental health. A large part of trauma-informed care is understanding our own blind spots. It is common to assume the gender of someone a client is dating based on gender norms. However, we use gender-neutral terms like "spouse" or "partner" to avoid making assumptions. We adopt those terms into our lives, even if we're straight or in a straight-presenting relationship.
An LGBTQ therapist must recognize the unique needs of gay, lesbian, or bisexual people. They face stereotype threat stress, trauma from religion, and microaggressions in relationships.
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We all need help now and then, and the supportive environment in therapy can be incredibly helpful. For those dealing with mental health issues, therapy can be life-saving. According to psychiatry.org, you are more likely to struggle with mental health concerns if you identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, or queer. In fact, LGBTQ individuals are 2.5 times more likely to experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and addiction. Those with gender dysphoria or who are transgender have higher rates of these symptoms. They also exhibit higher rates of self-harm and suicidal ideation
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Our practice is deeply rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a talk therapy that explores the dynamics between thoughts, feelings, and actions. We also borrow elements Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), narrative therapy, and others. We want your treatment to be a truly bespoke counseling experience for each person. Our mental health professionals will plan treatment to ensure that they get you closer to the goals that you seek.
Start working with an LGBTQ-affirming therapist today
Therapy at Cope & Calm prioritizes inclusivity for all. We prioritize reflection and consultation. They help us combat any biases that may affect our therapy. We might not know you (yet) or share your experiences. But, we can empathize with you. We will use our professional insights to support you in therapy. Having anxiety or depression is not easy. Other aspects, like being a queer person in our heteronormative community with mental health symptoms is even more difficult. You don't have to walk that road alone.
We will explore how your experiences have shaped you. We'll look at how your sexual identity affected your growth and relationships. We'll consider what members of your community taught you. We don't offer family therapy, but we will analyze your family's influence on your symptoms. We will hype up those that are providing support to you already. Finally, we'll help you learn new coping methods.
Reach out to get started!