Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual is able to use the resources available to them, cope with stressors and challenges in their life, and maintain productive and purposeful activity. When these balances are tipped to one side or the other, people may develop mental health problems. There are numerous potential causes for this. A person’s identity is formed by their experiences growing up in addition to their genetics and biology.
The LGBT community is often at a higher risk for mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and suicide. They are also more likely to experience discrimination and abuse from others. This is why it is important that the LGBT community have access to therapy and counselling.
Therapy can help people with their mental health by giving them the opportunity to talk about their feelings in a safe space with someone who understands what they are going through. Therapy can also help people with their relationships, self-esteem, substance abuse issues and more.
India is a country where the LGBT community faces many challenges and discrimination. They face serious mental health issues due to the pressure of society and family. Counselling for LGBT in India is not as common as it should be. There are many reasons why counselling is important for LGBT in India, for example, most of them have to deal with discrimination on a daily basis which can be mentally exhausting and even lead to depression or anxiety disorders. They also need someone to talk about their problems and fears when they don’t have friends or family members who will listen or understand them. Therapy is a powerful tool that can help people within the LGBT community. It can be used to help them deal with the trauma and distress they experience on a daily basis.
Many people in the LGBT community find it hard to come out and live their lives openly because of fear of discrimination, rejection, and violence. Therapy helps by providing a safe space for people to explore their feelings and express themselves without judgement or fear of being judged.
Queer affirmative therapy is a type of psychotherapy that is designed to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people. It is a form of counselling that aims to help individuals explore their identity and better understand themselves. If you find yourself struggling to come out, if your family does not accept you, if you feel like you are attracted to someone of the same sex but don’t know how to process it, or if you just don’t know what this means for your future, then Queer Affirmative Therapy may be right for you.
Some people may be looking for queer affirmative therapy because they are questioning their sexual or gender identity, or because they are feeling depressed, anxious, or dealing with other mental health issues.
In India, counselling for LGBT focuses on the strengths, skills, socio-cultural background of the individual and their environment. It seeks to build self-esteem by strengthening and supporting the individual, as well as by changing harmful environments that may be present.
The 5 affirmative therapy methods are:
1) Self-affirmation: This method helps individuals identify their inherent worth, strengths, and skills.
2) Social affirmation: This method helps individuals develop healthy relationships with others in order to feel valued and respected.
3) Environmental affirmation: This method helps individuals identify how their environment can be changed for the better.
4) Self-transcendence: This method helps individuals explore who they are beyond societal expectations or labels.
5) Transcendence of oppression: This method seeks to eliminate oppressive forces in society.
LGBTQ-related stress is the distinctive and ongoing stress that LGBTQ persons endure as a result of their societal marginalization. There is compelling empirical evidence that LGBTQ-related stress is a major factor in LGBTQ people's mental health. The relatively wide-ranging effects on mental health that are a result of anti-LGBTQ societal attitudes and social policies might be represented by LGBTQ-related stress. LGBT people's coping mechanisms in response to these stressors are also referred to as LGBTQ-related stress.
LGBTQ-related stress often starts early in a person's development and has an impact throughout their entire life. For instance, compared to heterosexual, cisgender people, LGBTQ people exhibit greater gender non-conforming interests and behaviors in their early years. Throughout the early years of development, gender non-conformity has been proven to increase the likelihood of parental and peer rejection, and this rejection can subsequently cause depression, anxiety, and other related emotional issues. Additional LGBTQ-related stressors include hiding one's sexual orientation, living with ongoing rejection fears, and internalized stigma. These factors are also linked to depression, anxiety, and other emotional issues like substance abuse.
Similar to earlier relationships, being rejected due to one's sexual orientation or gender identity by significant others, such as one's parents can leave one with long-lasting anxiety about being rejected by others. Although anticipating rejection may serve as an effective coping mechanism for early rejection, concealment-like behaviors like these have also been linked to interpersonal passivity, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety disorder.
Internalizing anti-LGBTQ messages and bias is one more way to deal with the stigma associated with sexual orientation, which has been linked strongly to sadness and anxiety. Internalized stigma, which more frequently happens without knowledge, emerges in automatic attitudes about oneself and other LGBTQ people as inferior, outcasts, or generally "bad." Internalized stigma is also linked to viewing the LGBTQ community as a stressor rather than a source of support.
Another Light Counselling, established by Aanchal Narang, offers everyone accesses to depression, trauma, gender, sexuality, addiction, and kink-affirmative treatment if they're looking for LGBT counselling in India. You are given a secure space by the experts at Another Light Counselling to pinpoint the ideas, emotions, and behavioral patterns that are fueling your symptoms.
We can help you move to a therapist who is closer to you if you reside in an area with few in-person therapists or if your schedule makes it impossible to meet with a therapist during regular office hours. These services are provided to make therapy more accessible. Another Light Counselling provides counselling services to everyone, regardless of background, and has a committed team of therapists who have undergone professional training. They frequently go above and above by offering sliding scale therapy slots that allow a client to choose their payment options based on their budget, in addition to providing two unique therapy alternatives with session costs ranging from ₹800-₹1200 (taxes included).
Affirmative counsellors are aware that there may be a link between the problems their clients are experiencing and minority stress, especially any regular microaggressions. The client may experience ongoing stress as a result of prejudice and discrimination from friends and family members as well as from the wider public. With clients who identify as LGBTQIA, this kind of chronic stress is taken into consideration while assessing, diagnosing, and setting goals. Therefore, they work toward creating a welcoming, open, and safe space that allows queer clients feel comfortable in being vulnerable when discussing and working through their issues. Therapy is crucial because it aids in the treatment of mental diseases, the processing of traumatic experiences, and the healing of old wounds. Additionally, it offers a secure environment where people can open up about their experiences and receive the necessary emotional support.