Therapy for LGBTQIA+

Therapy with someone you don't have to educate first. Affirming support with an accredited therapist, by secure video.

Accredited therapists Fully confidential Evening & weekend times

Everything is confidentialWhat you say in a session stays in the session.

Secure video, Ireland-wideFrom wherever you feel comfortable, on any device.

No GP referral neededBook online in a couple of minutes.

Evening and weekend timesSessions that fit around work and family.

Finding a therapist can be tiring enough. Finding one you don’t have to explain yourself to, or gently educate for the first three sessions, is harder again. Plenty of people put off ringing anyone at all because of that.

Counselling by secure video takes some of that out of it. You can meet an affirming therapist from Leitrim, Cork city, a shared house in Dublin or a town with no LGBTQIA+ services at all, without travelling, without sitting in a waiting room, and without anyone local knowing you went.

What is online LGBTQIA+ counselling and how does it work?

It’s ordinary professional counselling or psychotherapy, delivered by encrypted video call (some therapists also offer phone sessions), with a therapist who treats your sexual orientation and gender identity as part of who you are rather than the problem to be solved. Nothing about affirming practice involves trying to change, correct or talk you out of your identity.

The work follows your own understanding of yourself. If you’re still working that out, that’s allowed too. Your therapist follows your language and your pace rather than arriving with conclusions.

Formats vary: one to one sessions, counselling for couples or partners, and age-appropriate support for teenagers and young people where a service offers it. Getting started usually looks like this:

Make an enquiry or book online, which takes a couple of minutes and needs no GP letter
Say what you’re looking for and any preferences you have about your therapist
Choose a therapist yourself, or be matched with someone suitable
Agree a regular time, often weekly or fortnightly, in 50 minute sessions

How can LGBTQIA+ counselling help me?

People come with the same things anyone brings to therapy, and sometimes with an extra layer on top. Common reasons include:

Anxiety, panic, low mood or depression that has been building for a while
Low self-esteem, shame, or the exhaustion of managing how you come across
Isolation, especially outside the bigger cities
Family difficulties, including rejection, silence, or relatives who “don’t want to talk about it”
Grief, trauma, coming out, transition, and the big life changes around work, moving or having children

A lot of it comes back to minority stress. That’s the term researchers use for the slow accumulation of stigma, discrimination, being misgendered, being braced for a reaction, hiding parts of yourself, and the internal pressure that builds from all of it. It isn’t drama or oversensitivity. It’s a measurable load, and it wears people down.

Support is shaped around you rather than around a category. Being a bisexual woman in a long marriage, a non-binary student, a gay man in his fifties or an asexual person tired of being told it’s a phase are not the same experience, and a good therapist won’t treat them as if they are.

Gender-affirming support is part of this: exploring identity, thinking through social or medical steps, handling other people’s responses. So are relationships of every shape, including same-gender couples, mixed-orientation relationships, and non-monogamous or polyamorous ones. Counselling can also cover sexual wellbeing, though it isn’t a substitute for medical care. For testing or treatment, use HSE sexual health services or your GP.

Not sure if this is the right fit?

A first session is just a conversation.

Book a session Find a therapist →

How do I find an LGBTQIA+-affirming online counsellor in Ireland?

Affirming practice shows up in small things: your name and pronouns used correctly without a fuss, curiosity instead of assumptions, an awareness of minority stress, and no attempt to shift or suppress your identity. It also means a therapist who knows what they don’t know and asks. A therapist that is LGBTQIA++ affirming is often not LGTQIA++ themself, and research has shown that this is often very helpful for the client as it can allow many issues to emerge in a real way, without feeling a therapist is automatically going to see or experience things in the same way as the client.

Alongside that, check the practical credentials.

What to check	Why it matters
Qualification in counselling or psychotherapy	Confirms formal training, not a short course
Accredited membership of a professional body	Bodies such as the IACP, the Irish Council for Psychotherapy or, for psychologists, the PSI set training standards and a complaints route
Ongoing supervision	Standard practice for accredited therapists working in Ireland
Professional indemnity insurance	Expected of anyone practising privately
Experience working online	Video work has its own skills; it isn’t just a camera pointed at a room

Statutory registration for counsellors and psychotherapists in Ireland is being introduced through CORU, the health and social care regulator. In the meantime, accredited membership of a recognised body such as IACP, IAHIP, or PSI is the usual marker.

Fair questions to ask before you commit include what training or experience do you have with LGBTQIA+ people, have you worked with this particular clientbase, and what approach do you follow ? If the fit isn’t right, you can ask for a short call first or choose someone else. That’s not rude. It’s the single biggest factor in whether therapy helps.

What should I expect from my first online counselling session?

Mostly, talking. Your therapist will ask what brought you, what you’re hoping for, and something about your background and any history that’s relevant. You set the depth.

They’ll also cover the practical side:

Confidentiality and the few situations where it has limits
Consent to the work and to any notes kept
Session length, fees and what happens if you need to cancel
An emergency contact and what to do between sessions if things get difficult
How future appointments are booked

The first session works both ways. You’re finding out whether you feel comfortable with this person, whether you trust them, and whether their way of working suits you. Nobody should push you to take on a label, come out to anyone, or make a decision you’re not ready for.

Is online LGBTQIA+ counselling private, secure and effective?

Based on available research, therapy delivered by video appears to work about as well as therapy in a room for many common difficulties, including anxiety and depression. Suitability still depends on you: your needs, your level of risk, and whether the format suits how you like to talk.

On privacy, sessions run on encrypted platforms, records are kept securely, you consent to how your information is handled, and services operating here must meet Irish and EU data protection law, overseen by the Data Protection Commission. What you say stays between you and your therapist, with narrow exceptions: a serious risk to your life or someone else’s, child protection concerns, or a legal requirement. Your therapist will explain these at the start.

What you need at your end:

A reasonably steady internet connection
A phone, tablet or laptop with a camera and microphone
Headphones, which help more than people expect
A space where you won’t be overheard, even if that’s a parked car

Agree in advance what happens if the connection drops, usually a phone call back. And be honest with yourself about fit: if you need in-person care, specialist medical input or urgent help, online counselling on its own may not be the right support.

Frequently asked questions

How much does online LGBTQIA+ counselling cost in Ireland?

Private fees vary by therapist and by service, so check the fees listed before you book. Some health insurance policies contribute towards counselling, so it’s worth ringing your insurer. Free and low cost options exist too, including counselling through your GP under HSE services, and Citizens Information explains what’s available.

Can I access online counselling as a couple, family or young person?

Yes. Couples can join the same secure session from one room or from two different places, which suits long distance or shift work. Many services also see teenagers, with parents involved at the start and the sessions themselves kept confidential to the young person within safeguarding limits.

What if I am questioning my identity or not ready to come out?

That’s a perfectly good reason to come. You don’t need a settled answer, a label, or a plan. Therapy is one of the few places you can think out loud without it going anywhere, and nobody will push you towards a conclusion or towards telling anyone.

Where can I get urgent LGBTQIA+ mental health support in Ireland?

If you are in immediate danger, phone 112 or 999, or go to your nearest emergency department. Other supports:

Samaritans, free on 116 123, any time of day or night
Text About It, a free 24 hour text service
LGBT Ireland, which runs a national support line and instant messaging for LGBTQIA+ people and their families; current numbers and hours are on their site
BeLonG To for young people, and TENI for trans and non-binary people and their families

How can I take the next step?

Whenever you feel ready, you can book a session or send an enquiry and ask for an affirming therapist. It takes about two minutes and there’s no account to set up.

Useful things to mention when you get in touch:

Days and times that suit you, including evenings or weekends
How you’d prefer to be contacted, and whether it’s safe to leave a voicemail
Your name and pronouns
Any accessibility needs
Any preference about your therapist, or none at all if you’d rather be matched

One thing to be clear about: an enquiry or a booking is not an emergency service, and nobody will see your message straight away. If you need help right now, phone 112 or 999, or ring Samaritans free on 116 123.