I was raised in a heavily isolated Christian environment where homosexuality was harshly condemned as a sin. I have always struggled with feeling like I'm going to go to hell and I've never dealt with it. I've had therapy for anxiety unrelated to my sexuality in the past, and it worked really well. I know this is sort of a dumb question but are there LBGT specific therapies aimed with solving religious belief induced guilt? I'm pretty much sure that I'm not going to be happy without accepting my homosexuality, but I can never just do it. I have never discussed this openly with anyone, and I hate keeping secrets. I've been abused significantly in the past, so I am not very quick to tell people how I feel. I live around Santa Rosa, CA, so if it isn't available online, it'd have to be near there. I can drive and all that jazz, so that's not an issue. I'd appreciate any and all feedback.(&&&)
I cannot remember exactly, but back when I was trying to find a therapist I swear there was a site that listed different topics the therapist specialized in. Just do a simple google search and maybe see what you can find. Also, what about contacting a local LGBT group? I am sure there is something - could be an AIDS task force, heck, maybe even Planned Parenthood.
I think the first step is coming out to someone you can trust and know for a fact is supportive. That alone might make a big difference.
You could go on the Psychology Today website and look at their listings: https://therapists.psychologytoday....2.6192_7152&city=Santa+Rosa&state=CA&spec=172
I know there's some therapy places where instead of accepting payment they have you do community service.
I'm not sure about therapists in your part of the world, but I wonder if you have done any reading to counter some of the poisonous religious ideas you have heard? Have you heard of Matthew Vines who wrote a book "God and the Gay Christian"? In this book, Matthew Vines takes on the arguments you heard while you were growing up and unpicks them carefully. He also examines the "clobber passages" from the Bible line by line to demonstrate how they really mean something quite different when they are not taken wildly out of context. It's worth a read. You can also find Matthew Vines on You Tube. Watch the video's, but ignore the comments.
