Is There Free Lesbian Couples Counseling Available In My Area?

While lesbian couples often face many of the same relationship and life issues as hetero and gay couples, problems will always develop.   Whether you are in a new relationship or together for a while, tensions can always arise;

Along with the usual personality clashes, you might also be dealing with family pressures, work pressures, and emotional issues that spark real friction between you and your partner.

Many of these issues are the same as what straight couples often experience although “non-traditional couples” have issues all their own.   This includes dealing with discrimination, especially from many family members.

As a result, lesbian couples are often forced to build their own support networks, often without support from one of both families, something that most hetero couples will never have to face.

But lesbian couples face additional problems that are uniquely their own, including having to come to terms with the unique sacrifices that lesbian partners need to make for one another.

In most cases,  the key to relationship longevity involved coming to terms with those sacrifices and learning to accept one another’s differences.

Still, learning how to accept these differences and regain the intimacy and trust that first brought couples takes time and effort. This means, that many couples often need to turn to trained therapists who can help repair and strengthen those relationships.

Sadly, when it comes to lesbian couples, many counselors lack the training and experience needed. So, doesn’t it make more sense to find a counselor who is aware of all the latest research and who has the knowledge and experience to help you and your partner?

Sensitive to what the two of you are going through is a critical part of the counseling process.

Can We Find Affordable Counseling In Our Area?

Unfortunately, this kind of therapy often costs money and many couples may have difficulty affording couples counseling. This is especially true if one of the problems you and your partner are facing involve financial concerns.

There are numerous counseling alternatives that might be available in your area, including trained social workers, many of whom have a master’s degree (MSW), psychologists who have either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D., psychotherapists who are licensed to practice in their state or province, or psychiatrists with a medical degree.

Whether these are affordable, either directly or through your health plan, is another matter, however.

To find affordable counseling, there are certain steps you can follow:  

1. Check with your health insurer. It never hurts to check with your insurance provider to see what is covered and what kind of copay is required. Your provider may even have a list of local counselors who will take your insurance. Counselors covered under your insurance policy can also provide you with the necessary paperwork to file a claim.
2. Check to see if you or your partner has an employer with an employee assistance program (EAP). Such programs offer a limited number of free treatment sessions though this can vary depending on the plan. Even if you require additional sessions that aren’t covered, EAPs are still a good starting point for treatment. 
3. Check with your local university. Many schools with a counseling department have low-cost clinics where graduate students can provide counseling while supervised by a campus psychologist or counselor. Such sessions are often billed on a sliding scale depending on client income.   
4. Look into community resources. If you are living in a larger city, there is often an LGBTQ community center that can provide you with a list of recommended counselors and may even have group treatment programs to address a wide variety of clinical problems.  Again, it never hurts to ask.

In all cases, make certain that the counselor you choose is trained in the latest therapy techniques and has the necessary experience in dealing with LGBTQ couples.  

What If We Can’t Find The Right Counselor in Our Area?

Many couples may feel uncomfortable dealing with a counselor face-to-face (especially when talking about intimacy issues) and might also have trouble finding a trained counselor in their immediate area.

For people who don’t live in a big city or are out in a rural area, seeing a counselor may involve traveling long distances to see a counselor in another city.   

Fortunately, getting the counseling you need is now just a phone call or a video link away. Even before the pandemic, electronic or e-counseling has become an increasingly important option for millions of clients seeking help worldwide.

This can include text therapy, therapy links by e-mail, and video chatting with a trained therapist.

While numerous free online therapy services are available, you and your partner may also need an online counselor with the kind of experience and training that is directly relevant to what the two of you are going through. This is why you should look at  Pride Counseling and its unique role in putting you in contact with a therapist who cares.

 What is Pride Counseling?

Pride Counseling was designed to be a one-stop solution for all your LGBTQ couple counseling needs.

Intended as a platform that connects clients and therapists, Pride Counseling’s mission is to allow users and therapists to get the most out of their interaction. 

Not only does Pride Counseling provide state-of-the-art security to ensure confidentiality, but its extensive roster includes therapists from across the country, including ones who are even in your area. 

Getting started with Pride Counseling is straightforward enough.

First, click on the Pride Counseling link and answer some confidential questions about the mental health of you and your partner, the pronouns you prefer, and how a therapist can contact you.

 

Pride Counseling will then find a qualified therapist matched to your specific needs who will then contact you directly.  

Each Pride Counseling therapist has extensive training in the latest therapy techniques and with just the right experience to help you and your partner move towards a better future together.

And how you want this therapy to be conducted is totally up to you two: live chat, messaging, phone sessions, or video calls!

Even if you have never been in counseling before or had bad experiences with previous therapists, Pride Counseling’s therapists will be completely accepting and open to your needs.   

How Long Can I Continue with Pride Counseling and How Much Does it Cost?

While Pride Counseling doesn’t provide pro bono services, it is covered by most health plans and can even be negotiated on a sliding scale. 

The cost of therapy through Pride Counseling usually ranges from  65-87 USD  per week and is billed every 4 weeks.

Therapy can continue until you and your therapist mutually agree that your treatment is complete, but you are free to cancel your membership at any time for any reason.

Also, other issues might come up, including sexual problems and substance abuse, which might make treatment even longer or require referral to another counselor better trained to help.