NYC is home to the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer community in the US and one of the most queer-friendly, progressive cities in the world. If you didn’t grow up in NYC, you might have moved here filled with excited anticipation that you could at last satisfy your longing for a greater sense of community, better dating prospects, and daily living without constant fears of homophobia, transphobia, prejudice, discrimination, and microaggressions. 

LGBTQ+ Therapist in NYC

However, you might have experienced it for yourself that re-establishing yourself in NYC hadn’t solved all of your problems. Even if you feel secure and proud in your sexual and gender identity now, it doesn’t mean that all the emotional and psychological baggage that you’ve been carrying since childhood has automatically disappeared all on its own. Remember all those years of feeling “different,” feeling like you had to hide a part of yourself to “pass,” being called names and bullied, grappling with whether and when to come out to your parents and friends for fear of being rejected and losing their love, stumbling your way to find a community and a sense of belonging, and navigating the maze of queer dating? Not to mention you might also be facing all the “regular” stuff that many heterosexual, cisgender folks have to deal with—depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, family of origin issues unrelated to sexual and gender identity, relationship and career challenges, etc. 

You Need A LGBTQ+ Therapist Who Truly Understands You

Regardless of what you’re struggling with right now, you know you want someone who really gets you and your experiences. The last thing you need when going to therapy is to spend your precious therapy time educating your therapist on LGBTQ+ terminology, issues, and life experiences. If you’d like to come out for the first time or to any specific individual in your life, you need someone who’s experienced in helping people navigate the coming out process. If you’re not ready to come out, you also want a therapist who will honor your journey and not rush or push you against your wish. Especially if you’re still in the process of discovering your sexual orientation and gender identity, you need someone who can hold an open space for you to explore and experiment instead of influencing you towards heteronormativity and gender binarism due to their unconscious biases. If you’re in an open relationship or thinking about exploring ethical non-monogamy, you also want someone who’s knowledgeable in this area and can guide you through the dos and don’ts and the potential emotions and issues commonly experienced.

I am a Queer, Gender Non-binary Asian-American Therapist in NYC

My name is Sil Chen, and I identify as queer, gay, lesbian, butch, and gender non-binary. I specialize in working with individuals anywhere on the sexual and gender continuum who are looking for support, healing, clarity, and strategies for their specific needs in an open, warm, and nonjudgmental space. I have more than a decade of experience helping LGBTQ+ individuals explore their sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression, work through their grief and trauma related to their queerness, overcome their challenges in dating, marriage, and work, navigate their coming out to family and friends, and address any other emotional or psychological issues getting in the way of their full, brilliant selves. I also have a particularly in-depth understanding of the unique issues and challenges faced by queer Asian Americans.

Contact me for LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy in NYC Today

If you’re ready to explore or dive deep into therapy with someone you can trust who really understands the intersectionality of your life, click here to book your 15-minute free phone consultation online. In addition to working with LGBTQ+ folks, I also specialize in therapy for Asian Americans, queer and interracial couples, creatives, and engineers. Looking forward to connecting and chatting soon!