ForsytheCounseling
New member
Imagine this: Jane feels like she's struggling so after talking with her family, her friends, her lovers, starts thinking about talking to a therapist. She makes an appointment with someone who lists LGBTQ or sex therapist as specialties, but 15 minutes in, realized that the counselors' eyes are glazing over - they have no idea what she means when she's sharing the details of her life.
While most therapists receive some training on alternative lifestyles, it's lumped in with a class on cultural differences: students learn more about how to counsel with an interpreter in the room than they do about alternative lifestyles.
So: great questions to ask before you ever talk to a therapist: do you have any experience working with poly-amorous families? Are you familiar with NCSF? How do you work with people who have more than one partner? If the answers to any of these questions are either not forthcoming or make you feel uncomfortable, perhaps choose someone else.
While most therapists receive some training on alternative lifestyles, it's lumped in with a class on cultural differences: students learn more about how to counsel with an interpreter in the room than they do about alternative lifestyles.
So: great questions to ask before you ever talk to a therapist: do you have any experience working with poly-amorous families? Are you familiar with NCSF? How do you work with people who have more than one partner? If the answers to any of these questions are either not forthcoming or make you feel uncomfortable, perhaps choose someone else.