LGBTQ+/Queer Therapy in Chicago

A Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Counseling & Therapy

2nd Story Counseling

655 W. Irving Park Rd #204, Chicago, IL 60613

Ph: 773.528.1777

At 2nd Story Counseling, we provide affirming, compassionate therapy for the queer and LGBTQ+ community in Chicago. Conveniently accessible from surrounding North Side neighborhoods like Andersonville, Ravenswood, and Lincoln Park, our primary Lakeview and Boystown offices offer a welcoming, highly supportive environment.

Whether you identify as queer, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, questioning, or anywhere across the spectrum, our experienced team provides the identity-affirming care you need to thrive. 2nd Story Counseling is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) PPO. ✨

Our queer and LGBTQ-friendly therapists in Chicago understand the unique challenges facing the community, from coming out anxiety and identity exploration to relationship issues and minority stress. Whether you identify as queer, lesbian, bisexual, nonbinary, transgender, questioning, or anywhere under the rainbow, we celebrate exactly who you are.

We work alongside you to build resilience, self-acceptance, and joy in a safe space where you can be authentically yourself. When you’re ready to take that first step, individual therapy at 2nd Story Counseling offers a private, supportive, one-on-one environment built entirely around you.

Why Choose LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy?

LGBTQ+ affirming therapy goes beyond tolerance—it actively celebrates and validates your identity. Our Chicago LGBTQ+ therapists:

• Understand intersectionality and how multiple identities shape your experience
• Stay current on LGBTQ+ cultural competency and best practices
• Create judgment-free spaces where you don’t have to explain or justify yourself
• Advocate for your wellbeing within systems that may not be affirming
• Honor your chosen name, pronouns, and identity without question

Several of our therapists openly identify as LGBTQ+ themselves, bringing lived experience to the therapeutic relationship. All our counselors receive ongoing training in LGBTQ+ affirming care.

Specialized LGBTQ+ Therapy Services in Chicago

We offer comprehensive mental health support tailored to the LGBTQ+ community:

Transgender & Non-Binary Therapy

Our transgender affirming therapists in Chicago provide compassionate care for trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and gender-expansive individuals. We support you through:

• Gender identity exploration and questioning
• Social and medical transition support
• Gender dysphoria and body image concerns
• Coming out to family, friends, and workplaces
• Letters of support for hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery
• Navigating systems and institutions as a trans person
• Building resilience against transphobia and discrimination

Lesbian Therapy & WLW Support

Our lesbian affirming therapists understand the specific experiences of women loving women, including:

• Coming out in different life stages
• Building healthy queer relationships
• Navigating lesbian dating and community dynamics
• Internalized homophobia and self-acceptance
• Balancing multiple marginalized identities
• Finding community and belonging

Bisexual & Pansexual Therapy

Bisexual and pansexual individuals often face unique challenges, including bi-erasure and feeling “not queer enough.” Our Chicago therapists provide:

• Validation of bisexual identity
• Support navigating relationships across the gender spectrum
• Processing biphobia from both straight and LGBTQ+ communities
• Identity exploration and self-acceptance
• Building confidence in your authentic self

Queer Relationship Counseling

LGBTQ+ relationships deserve culturally competent care. Our queer therapists offer couples counseling for:

• Communication and conflict resolution
• Navigating open relationships and non-monogamy
• Blending families and co-parenting
• Processing past relationship trauma
• Strengthening intimacy and connection
• Working through differences in outness

Coming Out Support

Coming out is a lifelong process with many chapters. Whether you’re coming out for the first time or the hundredth, our LGBTQ+ therapists support you through:

• Exploring your identity in a safe, affirming space
• Managing anxiety and fear around disclosure
• Developing coming out strategies
• Processing rejection or loss of relationships
• Celebrating your authentic self
• Deciding when, how, and to whom you come out

Common Concerns for LGBTQ+ Individuals

Our Chicago LGBTQ+ therapists frequently work with clients experiencing concerns related to identity, relationships, stress, safety, belonging, and self-worth, including:

• Minority stress, discrimination, and the emotional impact of being treated differently
• Internalized homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, or shame
• Family rejection, estrangement, or complicated family relationships
• Anxiety and depression related to identity, relationships, or life stress
• Substance use concerns or coping patterns that no longer feel helpful
• Body image concerns, eating concerns, and pressure around appearance
• Trauma related to violence, harassment, bullying, or hate-based experiences
• Religious trauma, spiritual conflict, or questions about belonging
• Workplace discrimination, career stress, and navigating professional environments
• Isolation, loneliness, and difficulty finding affirming community
• Dating, intimacy, communication, and relationship difficulties

Therapy Approaches for LGBTQ+ Mental Health

Our queer-affirming therapists use evidence-based and relational approaches tailored to each client’s lived experience, goals, and comfort level. Depending on your needs, therapy may include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression, stress, and negative thought patterns
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotion regulation, boundaries, and interpersonal effectiveness
• Trauma-focused therapy, including EMDR and CPT, for processing painful or traumatic experiences
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work for self-criticism, shame, protectiveness, and internal conflict
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for values-based living, identity integration, and meaningful change
• Relational therapy for strengthening connections, attachment, communication, and trust

Specialized Support for Gay and Bisexual Men

We also offer specialized therapy for gay and bisexual men addressing dating, relationships, body image, coming out, family dynamics, anxiety, self-worth, and the unique pressures that can come with being a gay or bisexual man.

For more focused support, visit our dedicated page for therapy for gay and bisexual men.

Meet Our LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapists in Chicago

Our team includes LGBTQ+ affirming therapists and allies who are deeply committed to respectful, identity-affirming care. We believe representation matters, and we also believe that every client deserves a therapist who approaches their story with humility, warmth, and clinical skill.

Our Chicago therapists receive ongoing training and consultation related to:

• LGBTQ+ cultural competency and affirming clinical care
• Trans-affirming care and gender-expansive identity support
• Intersectionality and multiple marginalized identities
• Grief and loss within LGBTQ+ communities
• Current research on LGBTQ+ mental health
• Community resources and referral networks
• Internalized shame and identity

A Safe Space for Every Part of You

At 2nd Story Counseling, you’ll never be asked to downplay or hide parts of yourself. We celebrate the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities and expressions. Whether you’re:

• Just beginning to explore your identity
• Decades into your queer journey
• Questioning and uncertain
• Confidently out and proud
• Navigating multiple identities
• Part of kink, leather, or other subcultures

…you belong here. Our Chicago LGBTQ+ therapists honor where you are in your journey and support you in becoming who you’re meant to be.

Beyond Lakeview: Serving Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Community

While our office is located in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood (near Boystown), we serve LGBTQ+ individuals throughout the Chicago area and remotely via telehealth. We’re accessible from:

• Andersonville
• Rogers Park
• Uptown
• Lincoln Park
• Logan Square
• Pilsen
• Hyde Park
• And throughout Chicago and Illinois via online therapy

Be sure to see the different communities we serve.

Rooted in Chicago’s Queer & LGBTQ+ Community

2nd Story Counseling is not new to Chicago’s queer and LGBTQ+ community. Our Lakeview office is located near Northalsted, Chicago’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood, and our practice has longstanding ties to the community, spaces, and people that have shaped queer life across the city.

That history includes clinical work during the HIV/AIDS crisis alongside organizations like Chicago House — a reminder that affirming care is not a marketing phrase for us. It is something we have practiced through some of the hardest chapters this community has faced.

We work with LGBTQ+ Chicagoans across many stages of life and many parts of the city — from young professionals navigating identity in Andersonville and Rogers Park, to college students at DePaul, Loyola, and UIC finding their footing, to LGBTQ+ seniors in Uptown and Edgewater who came out in a different era and may carry a different set of experiences.

We also support LGBTQ+ newcomers to Chicago who are building chosen family for the first time, as well as LGBTQ+ individuals from faith backgrounds working through religious trauma, family rejection, shame, or questions about belonging. That community presence — built over decades, not assembled for a website — is part of what we bring to every client who walks through our door or joins us online.

Insurance and Accessibility

We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO insurance and offer self-pay options with the ability to accept your organization’s HSA card. We believe cost shouldn’t be a barrier to affirming mental health care for LGBTQ+ individuals. If we are not able to accept your insurance, we are happy to offer you referral sources.

We offer both in-person sessions at our comfortable Lakeview office and secure telehealth appointments for flexibility and accessibility.

Start Your Journey with LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy

You deserve a therapist who sees you, celebrates you, and supports your authentic self. At 2nd Story Counseling, our queer and LGBTQ+ affirming therapists are here for you.

Whether you’re working through coming out, navigating relationships, healing from trauma, or simply seeking support from someone who gets it—we’re here.

Contact us today to schedule your first appointment with an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist in Chicago.

Phone: 773-528-1777

Frequently Asked Questions About Queer & LGBTQ+ Therapy

Do you have therapists who identify as LGBTQ+?

Yes. Several members of our team openly identify as LGBTQ+, and all of our therapists are committed to affirming, inclusive care. When you contact us, you are welcome to share preferences about therapist fit, lived experience, clinical style, identity, or specialty area.

Will therapy be confidential if I am not out yet?

Yes. Therapy is confidential, with rare legal exceptions related to safety and mandated reporting. If you are not out, your therapist will not disclose your sexual orientation, gender identity, questioning process, or coming-out status to family members, employers, friends, or others without your permission. If you use insurance, standard billing information may be shared with your insurance company, but your personal identity story remains yours to control.

What if I am still questioning my identity?

Questioning is welcome. Many clients come to therapy while exploring sexuality, gender identity, labels, relationships, attraction, or what feels authentic. We provide a nonjudgmental space where you can process questions, try on language, and move at your own pace without pressure or expectations.

Do you work with LGBTQ+ families and parents?

Yes. We support LGBTQ+ parents, families with LGBTQ+ children, chosen families, and clients navigating family acceptance, estrangement, communication, or identity-related conflict. Therapy can help families strengthen understanding, build trust, and create more affirming relationships.

Every life has a second story. Let’s write yours together — authentically, proudly, and on your terms.