Here’s a question that all clinic directors should ask themselves… 
How accessible is my clinic to LGBTQIA+, kink, and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) communities?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, you must consider the reasons why.
Because the truth is that most members of the LGBTQIA+, kink and CNM communities are vastly underserved in the current healthcare system, especially when it comes to mental health services. Our communities are likely to experience more mental health symptoms like anxiety, depression, substance use and suicidality than heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, and many clinics continue to pathologize gender and sexuality rather than considering minority stressors as the roots of mental health challenges (Burger & Pachankis, 2024).
But as a clinic director, you can create more opportunities to make sure everyone who needs your care can be treated. It starts with a little inclusivity, but the path to better treatment for ALL means learning to become a fully affirmative clinic.
What does that mean?
Affirmative therapy models were created after homosexuality was de-pathologized in 1973. It was a stance that mental health clinicians took to reassure gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients that there was nothing wrong with their sexuality. AND that there was room in psychotherapy to explore the stressors and impact of rejection, discrimination, victimization, and exclusion from family and society.
Today, that approach expands beyond sexuality to gender identity and relationship constellations.
When it comes to learning to practice affirmative therapy, although the process is ongoing, getting started takes just a few seconds. It just takes a decision to re-consider where a client’s suffering is rooted. And then we can help with the rest. Affirmative therapy requires
🌈 A willingness to learn about community needs and stressors
🌈 The courage to challenge your own biases and assumptions about LGBTQIA+, CNM/ENM, and kinky clients
🌈 An openness to ongoing, life long education.
🌈 Collaboration with other community leaders to continue to build safer spaces and reduce minority stressors.
For clinic directors who think CNM, kink, and LGBTQ diversity training isn’t worth the extra effort, let this be a useful reminder that real people, almost 14 million , identify as LGBTQIA+, CNM, and/or kinky.
Since 2018
The Affirmative Couch has supported the mental health of sexuality-, gender-, and relationship-expansive communities through educating clinics like yours. We’re an APA-sponsored affirmative psychotherapy CE provider that offers comprehensive affirmative psychotherapy training. Because when everyone has access to affirmative psychotherapists and information about their unique mental health care needs, it makes a world of difference in their lives.
The path to better treatment for ALL means learning to become a fully affirmative clinic. You can take the first step down that path by saying YES to professional CNM, kink, and LGBTQ diversity training from our experienced educators who will move your clinic forward.
🌈 If you want ALL clients to feel comfortable at your clinic…becoming more affirmative is how you’ll do it!
🌈 If you want to put your organization’s values of diversity and inclusion into action and offer MORE services…becoming affirmative is how you’ll do it!
🌈 And if you want to signal to affirmative therapists that they can continue their mission to provide compassionate care for all at YOUR clinic…becoming affirmative is how you’ll do it!