10 Signs Your Therapist Is (or Isn’t) LGBTQ+ Affirming in Chicago & Illinois

Finding Safety in Therapy Starts Here

Therapy should be a space where you feel safe, supported, and fully yourself. But if you’re LGBTQ+ or queer, you may know what it’s like to walk into a session and instantly feel unseen, misunderstood, or even judged. It’s exhausting—and it can make you wonder if therapy is really for you.

That’s why finding an LGBTQ+ and queer-affirming therapist in Chicago and across Illinois matters so much. Affirming care means your therapist doesn’t just “tolerate” or “accept” your identity—they honor it, validate it, and weave it into your healing process.

So how do you know if your therapist is truly affirming? Here are 10 clear signs—both green flags and red flags—so you can feel confident about who you’re trusting with your story.

1. They Use Inclusive Language (and Get Your Pronouns Right)

✅ Affirming Therapist: Asks your pronouns, uses them consistently, and respects how you describe yourself.
❌ Red Flag: Assumes your gender or uses outdated, dismissive language.

If you’re holding your breath, waiting for your therapist to misgender you, it’s hard to feel safe. The right words create safety from the very beginning.

2. They See Your Identity as Strength, Not a “Problem”

✅ Affirming Therapist: Recognizes that your LGBTQ+ or queer identity is part of your wholeness—not something to fix.
❌ Red Flag: Frames your sexuality or gender as the cause of your struggles.

You’re not in therapy to be “cured.” You’re here to heal, grow, and thrive—exactly as you are.

3. They Understand Minority Stress

✅ Affirming Therapist: Talks openly about how discrimination, racism, and microaggressions impact mental health.
❌ Red Flag: Pretends identity-based stress doesn’t affect you.

If you’ve noticed your anxiety spike after being dismissed at work or judged in your own family, you’re not imagining it. A good therapist in Chicago or anywhere in Illinois will name that reality and help you carry less of that weight.

4. They Don’t Expect You to Educate Them

✅ Affirming Therapist: Comes prepared with cultural competence and keeps learning.
❌ Red Flag: Regularly asks you to explain LGBTQ+ terms or concepts they should already know.

Therapy is your time. You deserve to focus on your healing—not on teaching LGBTQ+ 101.

5. They Honor Intersectionality

✅ Affirming Therapist: Recognizes that your race, culture, gender, and sexuality all intersect and matter.
❌ Red Flag: Sees your LGBTQ+ identity as the only part of your story.

You’re not one-dimensional. An affirming LGBTQ+ therapist in Chicago honors your full humanity, not just one piece of you.

6. They Celebrate Queer Joy (Not Just Struggle)

✅ Affirming Therapist: Makes space for your resilience, creativity, and joy—not just your pain.
❌ Red Flag: Only focuses on trauma and overlooks your strength.

You deserve a therapist who notices your light, not just your wounds.

7. They’re Transparent About Their Training

✅ Affirming Therapist: Shares openly about their LGBTQ+ or queer-affirming training and approach.
❌ Red Flag: Gets defensive if you ask about their experience with LGBTQ+ clients.

It can feel scary to ask, but you deserve to know. A good answer will reassure you, not leave you second-guessing.

8. They Support Your Relationships Without Judgment

✅ Affirming Therapist: Validates your chosen family, queer partnership, or polyamorous relationship.
❌ Red Flag: Defines “healthy relationships” only through a straight, traditional lens.

Love is love—and your therapist should support the relationships that bring you safety and connection.

9. They Create a Space Where You Can Just Be

✅ Affirming Therapist: The therapy space feels calm, safe, and free from judgment.
❌ Red Flag: You find yourself hiding parts of who you are to avoid awkwardness or rejection.

If you can’t exhale fully in the room, it’s not the right room.

10. They Acknowledge Mistakes and Repair

✅ Affirming Therapist: If they slip up on pronouns or language, they own it, apologize, and correct themselves.
❌ Red Flag: They get defensive or brush it off.

Perfection isn’t required—but humility, repair, and growth are.

What If You Realize Your Therapist Isn’t Affirming?

It can be painful to realize your therapist isn’t the right fit. But remember: you have options.

• Trust your gut: If you don’t feel safe, it’s okay to move on.

• Ask questions upfront: “How do you approach working with LGBTQ+ and queer clients?”

• Prioritize safety: You deserve a space that honors all of you—not just parts.

Switching therapists isn’t failure. It’s self-advocacy.

How to Find an Affirming Therapist in Chicago & Illinois

Finding the right fit can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to do it alone. At Mindful Healing Counseling, every therapist on our team is committed to culturally affirming, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and queer-affirming therapy across Chicago and Illinois.

Whether you’re exploring your identity, coping with anxiety, or healing from trauma, we’ll meet you exactly where you are—without judgment, pressure, or assumption.

You deserve a therapist who sees you fully, celebrates your identity, and walks beside you in healing.

You Deserve an Affirming Space to Heal

If you’ve ever left therapy feeling unseen or judged, you know how heavy that is. You shouldn’t have to explain or defend who you are just to get support.

At Mindful Healing Counseling, our team offers LGBTQ+ and queer therapy online across Chicago and Illinois so you can feel fully safe, affirmed, and celebrated.

Here, you don’t have to hide parts of yourself. You get to show up exactly as you are—and be supported every step of the way.

Start Therapy Today— because you deserve care that truly sees all of you.