LGBTQ Therapist in Los Angeles
Therapy Should Prioritize Your Authentic Self: Supportive LGBTQIA Therapy for People of All Identities.
Affirming, trauma-informed therapy for LGBTQIA+ individuals of all identities — from a specialist who has been serving this community since 2013.
Hi! I'm Toby
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #89672) based in Los Angeles, California. I’ve worked in mental health, sex, and gender since 2013 — and I absolutely love this work. Serving queer and trans communities, treating trauma, and helping clients build quality of life are some of my deepest passions.
For nearly ten years, I worked at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, providing crisis counseling, case management, individual and group therapy, and running the transgender behavioral health program. I have supported hundreds of trans and gender-nonconforming clients through medical transitions, gender-affirming surgery letters, and the mental health challenges unique to this community.
My approach as an LGBTQ therapist in Los Angeles is attachment-based, trauma-informed, and deeply compassionate. My work is grounded in client strengths and evidence-based tools because this community deserves empowering, effective therapy.
I Offer Both Online and In-Person LGBTQIA Counseling in Los Angeles and Burbank.
Los Angeles
1910 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(424) 835-0516
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Burbank
1201 S Victory Blvd #206 Burbank, CA 91502 (213) 616-7366 Click for Directions
What Is an LGBTQ Affirming Therapist?
An LGBTQ therapist in Los Angeles is a licensed mental health professional who specializes in the unique psychological needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex individuals. Unlike general therapy, affirming LGBTQ care actively validates your identity, addresses minority stress, and provides a genuinely safe space, rather than treating your identity as something to work around.
The world has come a long way since the DSM classified homosexuality as a disorder, but LGBTQIA+ people continue to face discrimination, marginalization, and trauma at disproportionately high rates. Research from the Trevor Project shows that LGBTQ youth are more than four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, and for adults, the challenges evolve over a person’s lifespan.
As an LGBTQ-affirming therapist who has dedicated their entire career to this community, I can walk alongside you through the obstacles you face during your journey of self-discovery, affirmation, and healing. Clients often tell me they just want support navigating their thoughts and emotions in a space that is genuinely safe, inclusive, and free of judgment. Lots of therapists have strong clinical training, but this kind of safety and understanding can be a little harder to find.
How Does LGBTQ Affirmative Therapy Help?
Many times, the sources of distress affecting the LGBTQ community are best addressed by a compassionate counselor who specializes in affirming care. As a queer-affirming therapist in Los Angeles, I’ve developed deep knowledge of the common obstacles, heartaches, and emotional patterns this community faces daily. Here are the core areas I work through with clients:
Struggles with Mental Health Disorders
LGBTQ individuals experience anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation at significantly higher rates than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. Affirming therapy helps you understand these feelings in context, not as something wrong with you, but as a response to real-world stress, and builds lasting tools for relief and resilience.
Discrimination and Marginalization
From barriers in healthcare and housing to family and workplace rejection, discrimination is a well-documented source of LGBTQIA+ psychological distress. Minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) shows that chronic exposure to stigma significantly elevates mental health risk. Therapy helps you process these experiences, reduce their hold, and build a life that isn’t defined by others’ limitations.
Abuse and Bullying
According to a 2019 survey, 32% of LGBTQ high school students report being bullied at school, nearly double the rate of their straight peers (17.1%). Bullying and victimization are strongly linked to depression, anxiety, and self-harm. Trauma-informed therapy, including EMDR, can help process these wounds and restore a stable, grounded sense of self.
Substance Use
Without affirming support networks, LGBTQIA+ individuals face an elevated risk of substance use as a coping mechanism for identity stress, stigma, and isolation. Studies show LGBTQ adults are more than twice as likely as non-LGBTQ adults to use illicit substances. Therapy provides a structured, compassionate path through the underlying pain without judgment and without pressure.
Compassionate LGBTQ Therapy in Los Angeles
As an LCSW, EMDR-certified therapist, and WPATH Full Member who has spent the majority of her career serving the LGBTQIA+ community, I bring both clinical depth and genuine personal commitment to this work. My mission is to help you develop tools to manage stress, process past wounds, and grow in a space that never asks you to shrink or simplify who you are.
I offer a non-juidgemental, supportive helping hand to individuals who:
- Are planning to come out or exploring their sexual identity
- Are questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria
- Are considering or navigating a medical transition
- Need a mental health letter for gender-affirming surgery
- Are living with HIV/AIDS and managing related mental health impacts
- Have faced abuse, discrimination, or LGBTQ-specific trauma
- Want to include family members or partners in sessions
- Are dealing with relationship issues,self-esteem,anxiety, ordepression
Start Your Journey to Wellness Today with an LGBTQ Therapist in Los Angeles. Schedule Your Free Consultation
Taking care of your mental health is one of the most courageous things you can do. Getting help is the fastest path to feeling better, and you don’t have to do it alone.
01.
Initial Consultation
We’ll have a brief call to get to know each other. We’ll discuss your needs and how I can help.
02.
In-Person or Telehealth
Our sessions can be held in person or virtually for your convenience. No long commutes to come see me.
03.
Time to Do the Work
Recovery can be a long and difficult road, but it’s worth it. It tends to make so much more movements when you have a team.
Understanding LGBTQ+ Identities and Experiences
Explore the rich diversity within the LGBTQ+ community and learn how understanding identity, attraction, and lived experience can foster greater self-awareness and compassion.
Support, Therapy, and Pride
Learn how LGBTQ-affirming therapy, supportive relationships, and community pride can strengthen emotional well-being and help individuals live more authentically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly, this work isn’t a specialty I added to a general practice — it’s been the core of everything I’ve done since 2013. I spent nearly ten years at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, eventually running the transgender behavioral health program, writing surgery letters, and doing crisis counseling with trans and HIV-positive clients. The LGBTQIA+ community isn’t a niche for me. It’s where my heart and all of my work experience have always been.
Most of my career has been focused on helping people in the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly trans and gender-nonconforming folks and HIV-positive clients. I’m trained in EMDR, Emotionally Focused Therapy, CBT, DBT, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and ACT. But beyond the modalities, what I bring is over a decade of lived experience in this space. I’ve seen a lot, and I genuinely love this work.
Yes, and it’s honestly one of the parts of my work I find most meaningful. I’ve supported hundreds of trans and gender-nonconforming clients through this process and have worked with a wide range of surgeons and insurance companies. If you’re navigating this, I’ve been through it with many people before you. You’re in good hands.
I offer individual therapy, couples therapy, and family sessions. I work with people on gender-affirming care, HIV/AIDS mental health, trauma and EMDR,coming out, identity exploration, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. I see clients in person at my Burbank office, and I also offer telehealth sessions anywhere in California.
Absolutely, and sometimes it can be incredibly powerful. Whether or not it makes sense depends on where we are in the work and what your goals are. It’s always something we’d decide together. If the timing is right and it feels like the right move, I’m fully on board.
I’m not currently on any insurance panels, but I provide a superbill after each session that you can submit to your insurance company for potential out-of-network reimbursement. A lot of my clients get partial or full reimbursement this way. I’d encourage you to check with your provider before we start to see what your out-of-network benefits look like.
I try to be as flexible as I can. I schedule appointments on weekdays, evenings, and weekends depending on availability. The easiest way to get started is to reach out and schedule a free 15-minute consultation call. We’ll get to know each other a little, talk about what brings you in, and figure out together if we’re a good fit.