--- title: "LGBTQ+ affirming therapy · California telehealth · Joshua Acosta-Duque, LCSW" description: "Affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ adults across California. Queer, trans, and non-monogamous folks welcome on their own terms. Telehealth in English & Español." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/#website", "name": "With Love Wellness Center", "url": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com", "inLanguage": [ "en", "es" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "MedicalClinic", "@id": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/#clinic", "name": "With Love Wellness Center", "url": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com", "medicalSpecialty": "Psychiatric", "areaServed": { "@type": "State", "name": "California" }, "availableService": [ "Anxiety therapy", "EMDR & trauma therapy", "Relationship therapy", "Men's therapy", "Substance use & recovery", "Life transitions & grief" ], "telephone": "", "priceRange": "$$", "provider": { "@id": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/#joshua" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/#joshua", "name": "Joshua Acosta-Duque, LCSW", "honorificSuffix": "LCSW", "jobTitle": "Licensed Clinical Social Worker", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/#clinic" }, "url": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/about", "knowsLanguage": [ "English", "Spanish" ], "hasCredential": { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "license", "name": "CA LCSW #121584", "recognizedBy": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "California Board of Behavioral Sciences" } } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Who I work with", "item": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/who-i-work-with" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "LGBTQ+ therapy", "item": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/who-i-work-with/lgbtq-therapy" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What does 'affirming' actually mean here?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It means your identity is not the presenting problem, ever. We don't debate whether you exist. We work on the things you actually came in for, in a room where the ground under those things is stable." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you work with trans clients on things unrelated to being trans?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes — and honestly that's most of the trans work I do. Being trans is context; it's rarely the reason someone books a first session." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are you familiar with non-monogamy / poly / kink communities?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. I don't require you to explain your relationship structure or defend it. We work with your actual life, not a template." } } ] } ] --- [Skip to content](#main) [](/) [About](/about)[Approach](/approach) [Services](/services) [Who I work with](/who-i-work-with) [Insights](/insights)[Español](/es)[Contact](/contact) [Book a free call](/book) ![Two facing wooden armchairs with red upholstery in a warm sunlit sitting room](/assets/hero-who-WDcz5MAT.jpg) [Who I work with](/who-i-work-with)LGBTQ+ adults # Affirming therapy — on your terms , not a curriculum. Your identity is the room we work in, not the thing we work on. The context ## What I actually bring to this. A lot of "LGBTQ+ affirming" listings mean the therapist has a rainbow flag and won't misgender you. That's the floor, not the work. What I actually try to offer is a room where the fact of who you are is settled ground — so we can spend the session on what you came in for, whatever that is. Sometimes that's identity itself: coming out timelines, transition, chosen family, the long tail of growing up somewhere it wasn't safe. Often it isn't. It's the anxiety, the relationship, the burnout, the trauma, the grief — the same things anyone brings to therapy — and you don't want to spend the first session teaching your therapist how your life is put together. Queer, trans, non-binary, non-monogamous, poly, and kink-aware folks are welcome. Being LGBTQ+ and Latino at the same time is welcome too — and doesn't need to be defended in either direction. Sound familiar? ## You might recognize — - You've been to therapists who needed you to explain your own identity to them - You want depth work without your identity becoming the presenting problem - You're navigating coming out, transition, or chosen family — on your own timeline - Your relationship structure doesn't match the templates and you're tired of translating - The intersection of queer + Latino / immigrant / religious upbringing lives in your chest - Old material — from religion, from family, from a place you had to leave — still runs quietly underneath How we work ## The shape of it. Depth-oriented, EMDR-informed, and grounded in the specific material of queer and trans lives — without treating your identity as pathology or as a curriculum I have to teach you back. Couples and relationship work available. I don't do gatekeeping letters for gender-affirming care as a service, but if long-standing therapy is what someone needs during that process, that's part of what we can do together. [Book your free 15-min call ](/contact) FAQ ## Questions people actually ask. What does 'affirming' actually mean here? It means your identity is not the presenting problem, ever. We don't debate whether you exist. We work on the things you actually came in for, in a room where the ground under those things is stable. Do you work with trans clients on things unrelated to being trans? Yes — and honestly that's most of the trans work I do. Being trans is context; it's rarely the reason someone books a first session. Are you familiar with non-monogamy / poly / kink communities? Yes. I don't require you to explain your relationship structure or defend it. We work with your actual life, not a template. Services often relevant here ## Where this often overlaps . [ Depth work Relationship & attachment patterns Gottman-informed work for couples, attachment-based work for individuals — same dynamic, different person. Read more ](/services/relationship-therapy)[ Primary focus Anxiety & chronic stress Primary focus. EMDR, DBT, and CBT for the version of you that looks fine and feels wrecked. Read more ](/services/anxiety-therapy)[ Specialization Trauma & PTSD EMDR-led reprocessing for what your body still remembers. Read more ](/services/trauma-ptsd-therapy) With Love Wellness Center Depth-oriented therapy across California. Sessions in English & Español. Telehealth-only practice. Begin [Book your free 15-min call](/contact) In a crisis or emergency, call or text [988](tel:988) or [911](tel:911). Services - [All services](/services) - [EMDR therapy](/services/emdr-therapy) - [Anxiety & chronic stress](/services/anxiety-therapy) - [Trauma & PTSD](/services/trauma-ptsd-therapy) - [Relationship & attachment patterns](/services/relationship-therapy) - [Depression](/services/depression-therapy) - [Substance use, recovery & codependency](/services/substance-use-therapy) - [Burnout & high-achiever therapy](/services/burnout-therapy) - [Life transitions](/services/life-transitions-therapy) - [Grief & loss](/services/grief-therapy) - [Men's issues](/services/mens-therapy) Who I work with - [Overview](/who-i-work-with) - [Latino/a/x adults](/who-i-work-with/latino-therapy) - [LGBTQ+ adults](/who-i-work-with/lgbtq-therapy) - [Veterans & first responders](/who-i-work-with/veterans-therapy) - [High achievers](/who-i-work-with/high-achievers) Serving California - [California online therapy](/california-online-therapy) - [Los Angeles](/california/los-angeles) - [Orange County](/california/orange-county) - [San Diego](/california/san-diego) - [San Francisco](/california/san-francisco) - [San Jose](/california/san-jose) - [Sacramento](/california/sacramento) Insights - [All insights](/insights) - [High-functioning anxiety](/insights/high-functioning-anxiety) - [When therapy didn't work](/insights/when-therapy-didnt-work) - [Are my problems bad enough?](/insights/are-my-problems-bad-enough) - [Perfectionism & anxiety](/insights/perfectionism-and-anxiety) - [Can't think your way out](/insights/why-you-cant-think-your-way-out) Practice - [About Joshua](/about) - [Approach](/approach) - [Rates & insurance](/rates) - [Reviews](/reviews) - [Contact](/contact) En Español - [Inicio](/es) - [Sobre mí](/es/sobre-mi) - [Terapia de ansiedad](/es/terapia-de-ansiedad) - [Terapia de trauma](/es/terapia-de-trauma) - [Contacto](/es/contacto) With Love Wellness Center · Telehealth across California · sessions in English & Español. Individual results vary; therapy outcomes are not guaranteed. This website is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for clinical care. Website by [Automaus.ai](https://automaus.ai) © 2026 With Love Wellness Center · Joshua Acosta-Duque, LCSW · CA LCSW #121584