Queer-affirming counselling
For the parts of life that aren't only about sex: identity, family, loneliness, self-worth, and the people you want around you.
[€00], deducted from your sessions if you continue
What people come with
You don't need a crisis or a tidy explanation. Something ordinary that has become heavy is enough.
- Coming out, to others or to yourself, or deciding not to yet
- Gender, and how to live it at work, at home and with family
- Family relationships complicated by who you are
- Loneliness, especially in a city that doesn't feel like home yet
- A relationship ending, or one you're unsure about
- Low self-worth, and the voice that says you're too much or not enough
- Being queer in a country whose rules you're still learning
What affirming means here
Many practices list LGBTQIA+ as one specialism among twenty. These are the commitments behind the word.
- I won't treat your orientation or gender as the cause of the problem unless you say it is.
- You don't have to justify a label, or pick one.
- Your name and pronouns get used correctly, without comment.
- You won't have to explain queer life to me before we can start.
- If you describe discrimination, I take it as real.
- Being closeted, or out to only some people, is often a sensible choice, and we treat it that way.
Formats
Sexological and general counselling are the same sessions at the same price. You don't need to decide which one you need before booking.
Where counselling stops
Sexological counselling is talk-based. It doesn't diagnose or treat medical or psychological conditions, and I'm not a psychologist or a doctor. Some things need both, side by side.
With me
- Talking it through
- Information about sex, bodies and relationships
- Preparing a difficult conversation
- Working on shame and expectations
- Getting clear on what you actually want
Both, in parallel
- Pain during sex
- Changes in erection or arousal
- Desire that changed after medication or illness
A doctor or psychologist
- Diagnosis and medical treatment
- Medication
- Trauma therapy
- In a crisis: your huisarts, or 113 (free, day and night)
Before you book
Do I have to be out?
No. Plenty of people I see are out to some people only, or still working out what they'd be coming out as. None of that is a requirement.
Which languages can we use?
English or Italian. My Dutch is conversational, so I don't offer sessions in Dutch.
Online or in person?
Either. In person in Utrecht, or online wherever you are. If coming in is hard because of energy, distance or safety, online works just as well.
What if I need more than counselling?
Then I'll say so early and help you find the right care, whether that's your huisarts, a psychologist or a specialised service.
Start with half an hour.
Thirty minutes online, [€00], deducted from your sessions if you continue. Tell me roughly what's going on and I'll tell you whether I'm the right person for it.
Book an intro call