DBT for LGBTQ+ Mental Health: Self-Love, Emotional Resilience & Queer Joy With Dr. Kiki Fehling

What does DBT look like when it is truly LGBTQ+ affirming?In this episode of The Self Careapist Therapist, I sit down with Dr. Kiki Fehling to talk about DBT for LGBTQ+ mental health, minority stress, queer joy, self-love, emotional resilience, and what it means to apply skills in a way that actually honors context.We talk about why being queer is not the source of mental health harm, how anti-queer environments shape emotion dysregulation, and why DBT can be especially helpful when clinicians understand the transaction between identity, biology, environment, invalidation, and safety.If you are a therapist working with LGBTQ+ clients, or if you are trying to deepen your affirming practice beyond good intentions, this conversation offers a thoughtful clinical lens. Listen to the full episode of DBT for LGBTQ+ Mental Health: Self-Love, Emotional Resilience & Queer Joy With Dr. Kiki Fehling.Dr. Kiki Fehling, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and Linehan-Board-certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) expert therapist. She specializes in emotional sensitivity, borderline personality disorder, self-harm and suicide, trauma, and LGBTQ+ mental health. She is the co-author of Self-Directed DBT Skills: A 3-Month DBT Workbook and regularly shares mental health tips and DBT-related posts through her @dbtkiki social media accounts. Her work focuses on making DBT skills more accessible and affirming for LGBTQ+ people, especially around self-love, emotional resilience, minority stress, and queer joy.Website: https://www.kikifehling.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dbtkiki/ Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkikifehling/FB: https://www.facebook.com/drkikifehling/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dbtkikiLorain Moorehead is a therapist, consultant, and EMDR Certified, EMDRIA‑approved consultant specializing in trauma‑informed care and EMDR integration. She works with high‑achieving adults navigating anxiety, perfectionism, identity loss, and relational stress through depth‑oriented, evidence‑based approaches. Lorain brings advanced training in DBT and certification in Perinatal Mental Health, grounding her work in safety, attunement, and nervous‑system awareness. She also supports clinicians through supervision, consultation, and training, with a strong focus on ethical practice and clinical decisionmaking. In 2025, she launched The Self Care‑apist Therapist Podcast, creating space for therapists to explore innovative, research‑backed modalities—including emerging conversations around KAP and trauma treatment.Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorainmoorehead/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfcareapist/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theselfcareapist   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjS1AkQopGeVq6eP-1j7Y4i-oloOPSJmw  A short mid-roll CTA inviting listeners to take the Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz, identify their clinical stuck point, and access personalized resources. Includes an optional invitation to join Lorain’s newsletter.The Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly conversation with Lorain Moorehead, LCSW a therapist in private practice.  With guests ranging from expert psychologists, therapists, researchers and authors, each episode offers a deep dive and keeps listeners from intern to advanced supervisor  in mind while dropping gems and aha moments for everyone who loves to learn! If you love learning and want to keep track of some future learning opportunities, grab your personal curriculum here!If you liked this episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us be a top mental health podcast and resource.  See you next week!