gender identity

Where Can I Be Loved and Accepted?: The Importance of Chosen Family for LGBTQIA+ Individuals

June 30, 2023

anxiety counseling, anxiety therapy, culturally affirming therapy, depression, depression therapy, family challenges, gender identity, poor self-esteem, self-care, self-image, sexuality,

Note to reader: In this article, we will be utilizing the term queer to encompass the LGBTQIA+ community in its entirety, including gender-nonconforming, genderqueer, and nonbinary identities. During college, I often felt homesick. I would experience this longing to go home, and when I finally did, I was disappointed. What I longed for had never really existed, or at least not where I imagined it…

But What If It All Goes Right?: The Power of Imagination

June 17, 2021

anxiety counseling, anxiety therapy, coping patterns, depression, depression therapy, gender identity, self-image, sexuality, trauma, trauma therapy

When was the last time you thought about your imagination? If you’re anything like me, it may have been while playing pretend with your kids, or maybe laughing at the wild things they come up with while in imaginative play. The importance of imagination on a child’s development cannot be overemphasized. Children seem to have to play – it’s not a conscious decision they make,…

Pride, Pride Everywhere

July 4, 2019

gender identity, self-image

At the start of June, I began looking for a quote or an image that we could use to celebrate Pride on Take Root Therapy’s Instagram account. I wanted to find something meaningful and something that would speak to the many components of Pride, including intersectionality in the LGBTQIA+ community. I had a hard time finding something that was just right, but I realized that…

Training Wheels for Unconditional Self-Love

April 30, 2019

depression, gender identity, self-image, sexuality

“I want to get over this relationship,” “I want to feel more confident,” “I want to make a change in my career.” Folks start up therapy for a number of different reasons, including feeling depressed or anxious, and often one of the things that they need help addressing is their sense of self, their self-image, or their inner voice. In our work with our clients,…

When They Just Get You: The Importance of Feeling Seen

February 28, 2019

communication challenges, gender identity, relationship challenges, sexuality

“He just gets me.” “I see you.” “I hear what she’s saying.” Things we say about and to our loved ones often have to do with feeling seen and heard – or not – by them. There is no feeling in the world like being in the company of someone who you feel truly gets you on a deep level. In a fast-paced, urban city…

No, You’re Weird: What if We Embrace Our Weirdness? An Exploration on Being Different

October 31, 2018

coping patterns, gender identity, poor self-esteem, self-image,

Feel weird? Out of place? Different? Well, you’re not alone. So many of us feel like we don’t belong, or like we’re outsiders looking in on a world where others seamlessly fit in. Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you’re at an event or a party and you look around and think, “I don’t belong here.” Or you’re meeting a group of people for the first…