I don't require that my therapist identify as lesbian (my current T is bi), but I do want someone who identifies somewhere on the LGBT/queer spectrum. I might well be open to a T who has a LGBT family member, but I don't want to try a random therapist who does not write anything about working with LGBT clients in their online profile. I already contacted all of the T's who mention working with the LGBT community (for all I know, some of them don't even identify as LGBT-- they just incorporated it into their profile). I've had more than one-- in fact, at least 4 that I can think of-- bad experiences working with straight therapists who just don't get it and that was the primary reason why I stopped working with them. It's not that they didn't want to hear about it (they had no problem with that); it's that they just couldn't understand or relate. I already feel "different" when I go out into the world. Therapy is one place where I shouldn't have to feel "different" and shouldn't have to work so hard to explain or defend myself. I'll keep looking and, eventually, I will probably find SOMEONE.

What is really frustrating me right now is how inconsiderate that temporary T was. I returned her voice mail where I very politely let her know that I respected her decision, asked her if she had a referral for me, and just mentioned that I wished she could have let me know earlier so that I could have used the last 2 weeks to start making other arrangements (and NOT done the really probing, emotional homework that I now have no one to talk to about). She responded via text and was pretty passive aggressive. She said that she waited so long because she wanted to find a referral for me before she terminated me-- but she didn't give me a referral! So how can that be the reason? And if she was concerned about referring me, she could have had the decency to call me, tell me she wasn't going to see me (so I wouldn't do the hw) and that she would get back to me with a referral once she found one for me. Obviously, I didn't say any of that. I just found it upsetting. I've gotten quite a few knocks lately and I could just really use some support. I could really use a "win" in my life.