LGBTQIA+ people are disproportionately affected by mental health disorders, compared to straight or cisgender people. They often have extra pressures and stress, which make having a good support network even more important!

That is why psychology services can be exceptionally helpful in navigating or overcoming these barriers and stressors. But we’re mindful that these supports can even be unhelpful if they’re not properly informed.

What Can We Help With?

Professional support persons, who are appropriately trained and peer led, can help address many of the difficulties specific to gender and sexually diverse people. These might include:

• exploring gender identity
• coming out
• self-acceptance
• managing minority stress.

Some Common Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations

Gender refers to one’s internal sense of self (e.g., heterosexual/cisgender or transgender), and sexuality describes who a person is attracted to. Here are some of the more familiar variations.

Common Gender Identities

• Cisgender (Cis): A person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
• Transgender (Trans): A person whose gender identity differs from their birth-assigned sex.
• Non-binary: A term for gender identities that do not fit within the binary of “man” or “woman”.
• Genderfluid: A person whose gender identity shifts or changes over time.
• Agender: A person who does not identify with any gender.
• Gender Diverse: An umbrella term for people who do not adhere to traditional gender norms or binary categories.

Common Sexual/Romantic Identities (Sexual Orientation)

• Heterosexual (Straight): Attraction to people of the opposite gender.
• Lesbian: A woman attracted to other women.
• Gay: A person attracted to the same gender (this term more often used by men).
• Bisexual (Bi): Attraction to more than one gender.
• Pansexual: Attraction to people regardless of their gender.
• Asexual (Ace): A person who experiences low or no sexual attraction
• Queer: An umbrella term for sexual or gender identities that are not heterosexual or cisgender.

When to Seek Support

Supporting a gender or sexual identity concern is advisable when these feelings cause personal distress, mental health challenges, or interfere with daily life. While exploring one’s identity is a normal process, professional support should be sought when it leads to anxiety, depression, or difficulty coping, particularly when facing bullying, discrimination, or intense family/social pressure.

Gender Identity

• Significant Distress (Gender Dysphoria): Intense, persistent discomfort, unhappiness, or anxiety regarding the mismatch between your gender identity and your assigned sex at birth.
• Physical Distress (Physical Dysphoria): Strong desire to hide, change, or remove physical sex characteristics (such as breasts, facial hair, or genitals).
• Mental Health Impact: Noticeable changes in mood or behaviour, such as becoming withdrawn, aggressive, developing anxiety/depression, or self-harming, particularly during puberty, and often as a result of significant stress associated with the idea of changing/not changing gender.
• Social & Emotional Challenges: Feeling unsafe, overwhelmed, or “stuck” when trying to navigate social transitions, such as changing names or pronouns, or fearing rejection from family/community.
• Bullying or Discrimination: Being bullied at school or facing discrimination at work due to your gender expression.

Sexual Identity

• Confused or Pressured: Feeling forced to deny your sexuality or conform to other’s expectations, or experiencing intense distress/shame about your attractions.
• Isolated or Unsafe: Feeling disconnected from friends/family, or experiencing bullying, harassment, or fear of “coming out” because of things others have said and done.
• Impacted by Discrimination: Dealing with the negative effects of homophobia, biphobia, or discrimination in your daily life, ranging from physical symptoms of stress, to issues performing at school or work.

Our Approach

At One Central Health, our experienced Psychologists can provide the supports you need to manage LGBTQIA+ concerns, including:

• counselling
• parent support
• social skills training
• networking with school teams

Referral Pathways

LGBTQIA+ support at One Central Health may be accessed via:

• Mental Health Care Plan
• Private referral

If you’d like to learn more about this Specialised Support or book an appointment, please give us a call today.