Whether located at The Center or elsewhere, there are a number of therapists in New York whom provide services in this area. Whereas, there are also others involved in conversion therapy. While Gay affirmative therapies work to help individuals accept and grow as the authentic self, conversion therapists attempt to change the individual into a heterosexual and avoid same-sex attractions. As such, it is important to know the difference as well as which type of therapy is most beneficial over time.
In most cases, counselors in this area are working from a Gay affirmative perspective. As such, most use a form of psychotherapy designed specifically for those living alternative lifestyles. In all cases, the focus is on making clients feel more comfortable in relation to identity. As such, self-acceptance and authenticity are often part of the curriculum.
The difference between conversion therapy and affirmative therapies is whether an individual learns to accept and love oneself as a bisexual or homosexual or wants to learn how to live as a heterosexual. For, while conversion therapy attempts to reverse the attraction to same-sex individuals, affirmative therapies teaches individuals how to accept and celebrate the authentic self based on those desires.
One of the most important thing an individual can learn through affirmative therapies is that bisexuality nor homosexuality are related to mental illness. For, science has proven that these tendencies are related to genes rather than choice. Still, there still a number of LGBTQ+ individuals whom suffer from anxiety and depressive disorders. While this is the case, there are now studies showing that self-acceptance can often be beneficial in overcoming these and other issues such as substance abuse, alcoholism and sex addiction.
Individuals who hold religious beliefs which are judgmental towards the LGBTQ+ lifestyle often have two choices. One, find a religion which is more accepting and less judgmental or attend conversion therapy treatment. While the latter is an option, most individuals even after having gone through such therapy often revert back to the authentic self over time. As such, it is a process not to be entered into without a great deal of contemplation, meditation or prayer.
While the field of psychiatry had focused on homosexuality as being a mental illness over the last 100 years, times have changed. For, research has come a long way in proving otherwise. As such, current guidelines now encourage therapists to assist individuals in overcoming homophobia and other stigmas related to the LGBTQ+ lifestyles.
Most recently, therapists have began studying more about the different aspects of LGBTQ+ individuals and lifestyles. One area in which these studies are taking place is in relation to the coming out process. For, while it can be easy to understand someone having an attraction to someone of the same sex, understanding the inner-self and the need to come out are often more difficult for therapists and clients.
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