Coming Out

Sometimes our sexuality and sexual desires can be complex, leaving us feeling confused about who we are. Accepting ourselves can be more difficult than it seems. Figuring out who we are and what to do can be a lonely process, especially when faced with pressure to conform to the ‘norms’ of society of what it ‘should’ be like to be a man or a woman, and what it ‘should’ be like to be sexual. There may be fear and anxiety thinking about the risk of humiliation or bullying by others, which can also be daunting and distressing when thinking about coming out.

Coming out also applies when we start to think about our gender. The process of questioning our gender is often misunderstood, leaving people feeling isolated and open to humiliation and bullying by others.

The process of coming out begins when we start to recognise our attitudes and feelings towards our own sexuality and gender. Comparing ourselves to the social and family ‘norms’ governing aspects of our lives, it may seem that our sexuality or gender is ‘abnormal’ or ‘deviant’, especially as our world is filled with heteronormative and cisnormative messages about what people believe to be ‘normal’ and ‘right’.

Psychotherapy will help you examine these social conditionings and enable you to decide for yourself what is right for you. We provide a humanistic, non-judgmental, safe space for you to explore your sexuality, sexual feelings and gender identity in depth in order for you to make sense of it all. This process will enable you to make choices for what is best for you, including steps and strategies for coming out, and the considerations to keep safe.