LGBTQ Affirmative Therapy: The Client You Never Knew You Had | E109

What if one of your clients was trying to tell you she was gay… and neither of you knew it yet? Women are coming out as lesbians in their 40s, 50s, and beyond…and some are finding other women safer to talk to than their therapists. Not because their therapists are homophobic. Because even well-intentioned, LGBTQ-affirming clinicians can completely misunderstand what’s happening. In this episode, psychotherapist Miriam Grace (who came out herself just before 50) reveals what therapists can get dangerously wrong when a woman begins questioning her sexuality in midlife. We’re talking menopause. Marriage. Grief. Identity. Minority stress. And the surprisingly harmful thing therapists can do when we’re desperate to help a client “figure it out.” You’ll learn: Why a “midlife crisis” may actually be a midlife reckoning How menopause can collide with identity, sexuality, and long-suppressed needs The subtle mistake that can make an affirming therapist feel unsafe Why trying to “figure out” a client’s sexuality can actually increase pressure How your need for certainty can get in the way of good therapy How to help a client navigate coming out, grief, and identity when she doesn’t know the answer yet And then Miriam says something I did not expect: You may not need another certification. You may need to stop needing the answer. If you work with adult women, this is one of those episodes that may make you think back to a former client and wonder: Oh no. Did I miss this? Because sometimes the most affirming thing we can do isn’t help a client find the answer. It’s become a safe enough place for her to discover it herself. Xoxo, Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby Growing Self