Although a person’s sexual or romantic orientation or gender identity may not be a source of distress, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual, experiencing gender fluidity, or any other orientation or gender identity may find that the social stigma of living as a minority is a source of stress or anxiety. Dr. Holland is LGBTQ+ affirming clinician who specializes in mental health issues associated with sexual, romantic, or gender identity. As a LGBTQ+ advocate she offers nonjudgmental therapy in a safe environment and has a great deal of experience with a wide range of LGBTQ+ issues.
Therapy for Gender and Sexual Identity Issues
Coping with discrimination and oppression, coming out to one’s family and sorting out an “authentic” sense of self in the face of social expectations and pressures can lead to higher levels of depression, anxiety, substance use, and other mental health concerns for LGBTQIA+ people.
Affirming Therapy for a Change
Dr. Holland’s clients often come to therapy experiencing significant stress resulting from living under circumstances where their cultural, sexual, or gender identities are not fully recognized or validated. This is known as Minority Stress. Dr. Holland incorporates a combination of systemic, interpersonal and humanistic approaches to develop a meaningful connection with her clients.
The health risks associated with isolation and loneliness
Risk of social isolation increases with age due to life factors, such as widowhood and retirement. Nearly 1/4 of U.S. adults ages 65 and older are socially isolated, and prevalence of loneliness is even higher, with estimates of 22% to 47%. A survey from the project describes “Gen Z” (adults currently ages 18-22) as the loneliest generation. Increased isolation and loneliness among younger adults may be attributed to higher social media use and less engagement in meaningful in-person activities.
Friendships empower women against unwelcome sexual experiences
Sexual victimization is a widely studied phenomenon on college campuses, yet surprisingly little is known about how first-year college women navigate and respond to this risk. A new study reviews how perpetrators might target first-year women for a variety of reasons that include inexperience with alcohol, and being new to many of the social settings that are common in college. Strategies developed by researchers called “capable guardianship” helps women understand that by working together they can maximize their protection and safety and reduce the possible occurrence of nonconsensual sexual acts, ranging from unwanted touching to rape.
Nature walking can improve self-esteem around body image
A new study has found that being in nature helps people deal with negative body image by removing some of the triggers of body image anxiety, such as the focus on social media, and strengthening coping mechanisms to keep negative feelings in perspective.
New Research Examines Diversity of Nonbinary Youth
People whose gender is not male, or female use many different terms to describe themselves, with ‘non-binary’ being one of the more common. Other terms include queer, gender non-confirming, genderfluid, genderqueer, androgynous, agender, demigirl, demiboy, genderflux and bigender. None of these terms mean exactly the same thing – but all speak to an experience of gender that is more complicated than simply male or female.