Creating Safety for our LGBTQIAS2+ Clients
The Brandywine Center Collective has always welcomed clients of varying sexual orientations and identities. We are not just “inclusive and accepting” – we actively acknowledge and address the impact of homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism on the lives of our queer and trans clients. We are proud to offer queer and trans affirmative care rooted in compassion, respect, and a deep understanding of the unique experiences within the LGBTQIAS2+ community. Our therapists are not only trained in gender and sexuality-affirming practices, but many bring lived experience, cultural humility, and a trauma-informed lens to the work.
Our approach to therapy is one that recognizes that queer and trans individuals often face systemic barriers, discrimination, and invalidation in both society and healthcare spaces – and we are committed to creating a safe, welcoming environment where every identity is honored and affirmed. We hold space for joy, resistance, grief, and growth.
While we have witnessed some changes in our culture’s acceptance and valuing of LGBTQIAS2+ individuals, we recognize that most of us have grown up in a homophobic and transphobic world that was traumatic and invalidating in both overt and subtle ways. Taking in homophobic and transphobic attitudes from family, school, and the world at large can have a negative impact on personal growth, development, and relationships. The aftermath may include low self-esteem, social anxiety, depression, and difficulty with trust.
Our work together may help you unravel what’s often a complex mix of influences holding you back: negative relationship patterns you learned growing up, homophobic and transphobic attitudes you encountered that still exert an invisible influence on your feelings about yourself, and a lack of role models for committed queer and trans relationships in society. As such, we see therapy as a collaborative space where we strive to be not just allies, but companions in the journey toward authenticity, self-esteem, and resilience.