Bringing The Queer Lens To Mental Health

All individuals have a gender identity and sexual orientation. Gender identity refers to our internal sense of where we fall on the gender spectrum, which is not necessarily related to the sex we were assigned at birth.? Sexual orientation is defined by whom one is physically or romantically attracted to. ‘Queer’ is an umbrella term for LGBTQIA+ individuals; those who don’t identify as heterosexual or cisgender.?

Historically, cisgender and heterosexual agendas have dominated in society. This has resulted in years of prejudice and stereotype against anyone who doesn’t fall into these categories. Queer people are subject to discrimination, violence and pressures to conform which make it hard for them to live as their authentic selves. They are often denied their basic rights in domains such as employment, education, property, healthcare, relationships, marriage and politics.?

This marginalisation of queer people in society and the associated hostility and rejection that they face has been linked to an increased risk of various mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, suicidal and self-harm behaviours (among others). These social conditions affect a person's sense of self and contribute to feelings of shame and loneliness.?

There is a need for creating safer spaces for queer people, and the mental health field is no exception. Standard mental health practice operates from a cis, white and male perspective and is not suitable for queer-specific mental health issues. In fact, for the longest time there has been a pathologizing of queerness in the mental health field spawning harmful practices such as conversion therapy.?

Queer-affirmative therapy aims to address this issue by providing a safe space for queer people to explore and affirm their identities and have their experiences understood. It acknowledges and affirms their unique needs and lived experiences without pushing them towards a certain agenda, like some traditional therapy approaches do.?

It is important to note that queer people also belong to other marginalised communities. Thus, queer-affirmative therapy considers psychosocial factors such as gender, race, religion, socio-economic status as they intersect with gender identity and sexual orientation to affect a person’s mental health.?

Creating a therapeutic space where members of the LGBTQIA+ community can embrace their identities can have a positive impact on their overall well-being and result in increased confidence, a sense of belonging, self-acceptance and resilience.

The Mood Space recognises the need to provide a safe space for queer people through our mental health services. We equip our therapists with the necessary knowledge and training in queer-affirmative practice and offer an environment that nurtures people to be their true selves without being subject to judgement or preconceived notions about their stories.