If you are looking for gay therapists in NYC or in other parts of the country, then we highly recommend that you check out our recommendations because these gay therapists can help you without meeting in person with their online services.
Some of these therapists have graduated from prestigious schools that are known to support the LGBT community like Barry University. Needless to say, if you are wondering whether or not counseling for gay and lesbian people is effective, you willl find that the answer is “yes”.
best options Gay Sex Therapists on the market in (May. 2021)
- Pride Counseling – Editor’s choice
- Talkspace – Best Flexibility
- Gay Therapy Center – Best Insurance
- Amwell – Best Accessibility
- Gay Men’s Counseling Alliance – Best for Gay Men
Best online gay sex therapists: Pride counseling
Pride Counseling is one of the top online therapist services catered towards people of the LGBT community. Their therapists are very understanding of the LGBT lifestyle, their problems, and how society has treated them.
The service is available on both iOS and Android so most people can easily avail their services. They offer multiple types of sessions for therapists to talk with their patients like phone calls, chat messages, and even video calls.
Pride counseling also provides help for men and women who are struggling with their sexual identity. Their therapists understand their sexual identity issues and helping them identify themselves as one of the LGBT people will do wonders for their lives or at least help them accept themselves better.
In A Hurry? Here’s The Winner
Editor’s Choice
Pride Counseling
Why is it better?
- Helpful counselors
- Intuitive App
- Available on iOS and Android
The Lineup At A Glance
Best Flexibility
- 24/7 emotional support
- Affordable rates
- Stigma-Free
Best Insurance
- Reasonable reimbursements
- Effective counselors
- Free Phone consultation
Best Accessibility
- Easy access to website and app
- No membership fees
- Professional therapists
Best for Gay Men
- Gay Counselor
- Reasonable rates
- Gets results
How to choose the best gay sex therapists near me?
Not all gay sex therapists provide the same level of quality and care in their service. There will always be exceptional therapists who will overshadow the rest and come out on top while other therapists may not be so great but they may be cheaper and their lack of prestige might help them make better connections with their clients.
With this being said, it is up to you to find the best gay sex therapist that works for you whether that be a famous certified sex therapist or a licensed clinical social worker who understands you on a personal level.
We have compiled a guide below to better help you determine what you are looking for and what is within your budget.
Step 1: Ask Your Community
Before you go searching online for the best gay sex therapist, it might be a good idea to ask other gay people first. After all, they have first-hand experience about the service and they can provide you with better insights compared to a search online especially if the people you ask are your friends who know your preferences.
Additionally, it will be much easier booking a gay sex therapist that your friends know. Since they might be able to put in a good word for you and pull some strings with these therapists. Needless to say, take advantage of your connection with the LGBT community and make things work for you.
Step 2: Do Your Research Online
Your friends might be biased about their experiences so it is still a good idea to confirm what they are saying about their sex therapy online. This is also a good way to confirm the credentials of their recommended therapist and find out for yourself if they are a certified sex therapist or not.
Finding lesbian counseling, clinical social workers, and people specializing in emotional abuse is much easier with a simple keyword search. You also do not need to follow the LGBT community recommendation. Feel free to find a licensed psychotherapist based on your wants, needs, and sexual issues like body image and sexual incompatibility.
Step 3: Check out customer reviews and Feedback
Choosing a potential sex therapist for you can be hard since there are a lot of options out there. It is best to see what actual customers think of their performance and service so you can filter out your list.
Did they have extensive experience? Were they non-judgmental? Are they transgender or gays themselves? Answering some of these questions will help you find the therapist you desire and want to help you with your sexual health and dealing with sexual dysfunction.
An additional tip we can give you when it comes to reading customer reviews is to “read between the lines”. People are subjective and they could be making a negative review because of a bad experience that they are overexaggerating or they do not like the therapist personally. Distinguishing a review made out of spite from one made with discerning objectiveness is a reliable way to filter out the good reviews from the bad ones.
Step 4: Contact and Feel Out Your Therapist
Once you have decided on a therapist, it is time for you to contact them directly whether it be on the phone or video call. We do recommend going with a video call since you can see what they look like and have a better feel of their character.
This is also a good chance to question them on what they can offer for you. Knowing their gender, and sexual preferences might help you make a connection with them especially if their also gay or bisexual themselves. Overall it is good practice to contact any potential therapist beforehand so that you can have a good psychotherapy session.
Step 5: Choose Based on Your Preferences And Problems
It does not matter how good the customer reviews are if the gay psychotherapists they are reviewing do not match your tastes. Working with a therapist that you are comfortable with is very important especially if you are going to discuss personal issues like sexual needs, emotional abuse, depression, and other aspects of your life that are very touchy.
Additionally, different therapists specialize in different issues so a therapist who specializes in sexual relationships and relationship therapy might not be good when it comes to premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, and other sexual health problems.
Step 6: Trust Your Gut
One thing that most people tend to disregard when choosing their therapist is their own gut. The recommendations of your friends, customer reviews, and from people who do social work are important but the most important voice you should listen to is your own.
If something does not feel right with a particular therapist or with particular clinical social workers, then it is best that you look for alternatives. It is normal to be anxious or nervous in your couples therapy sessions but if the discomfort is too much that it hinders progress, then it is best you try another certified sex therapist.
Step 7: Be Open to your Choices
We have mentioned that it is important to trust your gut feeling but sometimes being too trusting of your gut can be a problem, especially if it prevents you from trying out a potentially good licensed psychotherapist.
It is best that you give everyone a shot, especially the ones recommended by a lot of people. Who knows, that uneasy feeling might just be you being nervous and scared of opening up to a sex therapist that could help you with your relationship problems.
Step 8: Be Practical
Last but not least is to be practical when it comes to choosing a licensed psychotherapist whether it be a gay sex therapist or not. Therapy can be pretty expensive and splitting the bill 50-50 may not be enough to cover the cost of therapy.
If counseling is too expensive for you, then do not force it. There are cheaper options out there albeit less effective so we do not recommend them either since most likely or not, you are going to waste money. Do not get in debt for therapy and it is better to save up money and avail the services of reliable therapists in the future. So be practical about things and do things properly.
How can gay sex therapists help?
As mentioned before, a gay sex therapist can help you with your mental health issues just like any other therapist. But they have more focus on the problems of gay. Because of this, they are adept at helping you with issues that gay people experience like the stigma of lesbian relationships, sexual identity issues, marriage problems, and other issues that need the support of a professional.
When should you see your therapist?
The best way to determine whether or not you need to see a therapist of any kind is to ask your doctor or mental health professional[3]. Stress and problems can build up and it is better to have them treated before they get out of hand. Additionally, telling your doctor can be very helpful since they can recommend a fitting therapist based on the issues and problems you have.
LGBTQ Therapy: How do online gay therapists work?
Gay therapists are simply people who specialize in healing gay people. Their approach for therapy is the same[1] and they aim to help their patients deal and move in the right direction with their problems like anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health problems
Benefits of Therapy for LGBT
People in the LGBT community like transgender, gay, and lesbian have their sort of issues and problems in their lives that other people do not tend to experience. Which is why even a normal therapist who does not understand their struggles will have a less effective time in handling their issues.
A gay therapist on the other hand knows the ins and outs of lesbians, gays, and people living with the stigma of their sexuality. They understand more about their sexual behaviors making them better therapists for gay couples and problems with their sex life. In short, therapy for LGBT people is targeted at people with different sexual orientations and they are very good at it.
What does a gay therapist treat?
Therapy, in general, has three approaches[2] to their patients and this applies to gay therapists as well. These are the cognitive-behavioral approach, psychoanalytical approach, and couple or family approach.
With this, they are able to treat different mental health conditions and mental health issues like:
Depression and Stress Management
Everyone can suffer from depression and experience severe stress. However, the causes of stress and depression can differ from person to person. Gay men and lesbians, in general, suffer stress from the stigma and prejudice of society so having a therapist who understands their struggles will help out a lot.
Sexual Relationships and Sexual Behaviors
LGBT people have different sexual behavior compared to straight people and a gay therapist will have a much better time working on your couples therapy, relationship therapy, and gay sex therapy that deals with issues like sex addiction, painful sex, and even open relationships.
Sexual Identity
If you have recently found out that you are gay, then you might have a harder time coping with your previous lifestyle due to sexual incompatibility with your partner or simply accepting the fact that you are bisexual or gay.
A gay sex coach will help you accept what you are and assure you that it is okay to be a gay man or a lesbian. People should not have mental issues due to their sexual orientation and by accepting this fact, you will have a much brighter life.
Other Mental Health Issues
Gay therapists are still therapists and they practice social work and psychotherapy. Helping individuals is in their job description and they can help you with their mental health problems even when it has nothing to do with your sexuality. They will give you their full support and their psychotherapy can help relieve you of trauma, anxiety, and other problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
A gay sex therapist is a therapist who understands the struggles of gay people. They can be experienced therapists who have worked with gay people before or they could be gay themselves.
Yes. A non-judgemental therapist who understands your problems tends to be more effective than those who are not.
Yes they can. But we recommend hiring other therapists if you are straight since a member of the LGBT community might need their help much better.
They offer the same services as other therapists such as psychotherapy, couples therapy, coping with trauma, etc.