LGBTQIA+ Therapy in Los Angeles
Therapy Where You Don’t Have to Explain Yourself
If you are searching for individual and relationship LGBTQIA+ therapy in Los Angeles, you may already know how hard it can be to find a therapist who truly understands your experience. Too often, queer and trans individuals encounter well-meaning therapists who simply lack the training, cultural competency, and specialized expertise to provide genuinely affirming care.
You deserve better than having to educate your therapist about your own identity. Queer and trans individuals and couples are my passion population (in fact, my dissertation was devoted to creating a course to train psychologists how to competently and compassionately work with this population), and I offer affirming virtual therapy throughout California.
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”
– Carl Rogers
Making the Taboo Speakable
Therapy Is a Place to Talk Freely
Issues regarding one’s gender or sexuality can be difficult to discuss with many people in our lives, let alone to receive informed and personalized advice about. That’s where therapy comes in. Thinking about opening your relationship? Are you and your partner experiencing out-of-sync libidos or desires? Feeling judged for your sexual preferences (or identity as a whole)? In therapy, we will make the taboo speakable.
There are a fraction of narratives about queer couples, and even less featuring a trans or nonbinary person. Depending on when, where, and how you were raised, you may not have had any narratives about what healthy, loving relationships can look like for people with your gender or sexual identity.
That is why it is so important to have a qualified psychologist with extensive experience working with people like you, whether you are exploring your sexuality for the first time or whether your long-term relationship is still fulfilling.
Is This Familiar?
Signs It May Be Time to Reach Out
You do not need to be in crisis, and you do not need to be questioning anything, to benefit from working with a therapist who already understands your world. Plenty of my clients are entirely settled in their identity and come for reasons that have nothing to do with it.
If any of these are familiar, a free consultation costs nothing and is a great, easy place to find out whether we are a good fit.
This Often Sounds Like
- › You have spent therapy hours explaining rather than being helped
- › There are parts of your life you edit before speaking
- › You feel alone in an important decision-making process
- › The stress of being read, or misread, is constant background noise
- › Family or faith history is still sitting unresolved
- › You want a therapist who is an expert in more than your identity
My Passion Population
Let’s Celebrate Your Authentic Self
Over the course of my training and career, I have developed specialized knowledge and skills in addressing psychological issues specific to LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples. From the years of research that culminated in my dissertation, developing a course to teach therapists how to competently and compassionately work with LGBTQIA+ individuals, to co-leading therapy groups for trans people, my passion population is queer and trans individuals and couples.
This is not a secondary skill I offer. It is central to who I am as a psychologist and central to the work I do every day.
What We Can Work on Together
- › Coming out, at any stage of life
- › Gender identity, dysphoria, and affirmation
- › The dynamics of queer, trans, & open / ENM relationships
- › Family rejection and community grief
- › Discrimination and accumulated microaggressions
- › Building a confident, authentic identity
Specialized Training, Not Just Good Intentions
Who I Work With
I offer affirming, specialized LGBTQ+ therapy in Los Angeles for individuals who identify as queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, or questioning. I work with trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid individuals, including those pursuing or considering gender affirmation surgeries or hormone replacement therapy. I also support clients in ethically non-monogamous relationships of all configurations.
I also bring my full expertise in anxiety, ADHD, sleep, and relationship patterns to our work together. Being queer or trans does not mean that those are the only things you need to work on. Sometimes you need a therapist who happens to understand your identity while also being an expert in the other things that are affecting your life. That is exactly what I offer.
There Is No One Size Fits All
My Approach to LGBTQIA+ Therapy
If Structure Helps You
CBT, DBT, and ACT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps you identify and reframe the distorted thinking patterns underneath a difficult feeling. Pulling from Dialectical Behavior Therapy adds practical tools for riding out intense emotion without acting on it impulsively. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy teaches you to make room for hard feelings while devoting your efforts to the things you can control in life: living in accordance with your top values that we identify. Some clients respond quickly to structured techniques like these.
If You Want to Go Deeper
Psychodynamic, Relational, and Attachment-Based
Other clients benefit more from exploring where a pattern began. Psychodynamic and attachment-based work looks at how your earliest relationships shaped what you expect from people now, and relational therapy uses what happens between us in the room as live material. We only bring in the past as much as is relevant (how is it impacting you today?). Many clients find a blend of both is exactly what they need, and we will collaborate on that as we go.
Getting Started
What to Expect in Your First Sessions
Starting therapy for the first time, or starting with a new therapist, can be a daunting process. I have been there. Making people feel comfortable and cared for while they open up about difficult and deeply personal topics is my specialty.
We begin with a complimentary 15-minute consultation. This is a chance for you to describe what you are hoping to get out of therapy, for me to make sure your needs are a good fit with my specialties, and for you to ask any questions about the process. There is no pressure and no obligation.
As we begin our work together, we will identify your symptoms, your treatment goals, your values, and your strengths. You will not need to spend that time explaining terminology, justifying a relationship structure, or bringing me up to speed on medical pathways (if you are going that route). From there, we build the personalized coping skills that make up the bulk of our work.
Two Paths Forward
Individual Therapy or Couples Therapy
Working On Your Own
Individual Therapy
Whether you are exploring your identity, changing your relationship state, navigating discrimination or family rejection, processing a breakup, or simply want a therapist who deeply understands your world without needing an explanation, there is a warm and welcoming space here for you.
Working Together
Couples Therapy
Perhaps your issues are not solitary but, rather, relational. If you and your partner(s) are struggling with communication, taking the next big step in life, or aiming to work through growing apart, infidelity trauma, or questioning your relationship, I work with couples as well as partners in ethically non-monogamous relationships of all configurations.
Credentials That Matter
Why Work with Dr. Shannon Thomas for LGBTQ+ Therapy?
I am a licensed psychologist (Psy.D., PSY35186) in California, and I have been conducting LGBTQIA+ psychological research since 2016. That work culminated in a doctoral dissertation designing a course to train clinicians to work with queer and trans populations, written after discovering how many studies have repeatedly demonstrated how poorly equipped most doctoral graduates are for this population. I have also co-led therapy groups for trans individuals.
Alongside my practice I teach graduate psychology courses and training workshops, including Gender and Sexuality, LGBTQ Family Violence, and ADHD in LGBTQIA+ Relationships. Staying close to the teaching side of this field is how I keep my clinical work current. I also serve my local mental health community as President of the San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association
My specialties also include anxiety, ADHD, sleep, and relationship therapy, all delivered through an affirming lens.
All sessions are conducted via telehealth on a HIPAA-compliant platform, so you can attend from anywhere in California, including Los Angeles, Pasadena, and the San Gabriel Valley. I typically begin seeing new clients within one week of our consultation.
My fee is $290 for individual therapy and $345 for couples therapy. I provide superbills for out-of-network insurance reimbursement.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer therapy specifically for trans individuals?
Yes. I have specific experience working with trans, genderfluid, and non-binary individuals navigating gender dysphoria, coming out, medical transition, the emotional dimensions of HRT or gender affirmation surgery, and relationship challenges unique to trans experiences.
Can you work with clients in polyamorous or open relationships?
Absolutely! I have extensive experience working with ethically non-monogamous individuals and partnerships of all configurations.
Is LGBTQIA+ therapy available via telehealth?
Yes. All sessions are conducted via HIPAA-compliant telehealth, accessible from anywhere in California. For many clients this also means privacy: no waiting room, and no one to run into.
Do you also offer couples therapy?
I do. Couples therapy is available at $345 per session. This page focuses on individual LGBTQ+ affirming therapy, but you can find my couples therapy page above.
Do I have to talk about being queer or trans in therapy?
Only as much as you want to. Many clients come to work on anxiety, ADHD, sleep, or a relationship, and simply want a therapist for whom their identity is a given rather than a topic. Your identity can be context rather than content.
When can we begin?
Usually within days to one week of our consultation. I know how hard it can be to take the first step and reach out for therapy, so I pride myself on beginning with new clients as soon as possible. This helps capitalize on the momentum and motivation you are experiencing right now, and lets us start alleviating your symptoms at the earliest possible date.
How often will we meet?
Once weekly, at least to begin with. Meeting less often than that tends to turn therapy into a great deal of catch up rather than progress, and it is harder to track changes in your symptoms. As progress is made over time, you will be able to transition to every-other-week sessions, then monthly, and then only occasional check-ins when you feel ready to do so.
Do I have to live in California?
Yes. Because I am licensed in California, you need to be located here to receive therapy from me. If you travel or are out of state for short periods, we may well be able to continue teletherapy, though that depends on the laws of the place you are visiting. Let me know your travel plans and I will check the regulations for you.
What is your fee?
$290 per individual session and $345 for couples therapy. These rates reflect the years of generalist education and specialist training behind the work, and the continued training and certifications I keep up so that I can draw on a wide range of modalities rather than applying one method to everybody.
Do you accept insurance?
Not directly, but I provide superbills for you to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. Many PPO plans cover all or a significant portion of out-of-network therapy after your deductible. It is worth calling your insurer before our consultation to ask about your out-of-network benefits.
A note on the research of Teletherapy: Telehealth also means you can choose a therapist by expertise rather than by who happens to be nearby. Extensive empirical research conducted over the last few years has repeatedly demonstrated that telehealth is equally as successful as in-person therapy, sometimes even more so (Bellanti et al., 2022; Krzyzaniak et al., 2021). It has also shown that teletherapy holds a higher retention rate, and that therapeutic gains are maintained over time, whether you are seeking therapy for anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship issues, or other such disorders (American Psychological Association, 2020; Abrams, 2020).
Schedule a Free Consultation
I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s talk.
Call to schedule a free 15-minute first session to learn how I work and ask any questions you may have about the process. If I’m with another patient when you call, please leave a voicemail with your availability so I can call you back.
(626) 784-7115
therapy@drshannonthomas.com