Illustration of four friends gathered around a park bench, including a wheelchair user, holding rainbow and transgender pride flags.

Identity, belonging & everyday life

LGBTQIA+ & Gender-Affirming Therapy in Pittsburgh & across Pennsylvania

Space for who you are, the people in your life, and what you want support with.

Schedule an Appointment Meet Our Clinicians
Explore LGBTQIA+ & Gender-Affirming Resources
More about this support

Forward Wellness offers affirming therapy for LGBTQIA+ people, including people exploring their sexuality or gender. Bring questions about identity, relationship concerns, anxiety, grief, or whatever is taking up space in your life.

Online across Pennsylvania, with in-person options in Pittsburgh and Indiana, PA.
All intakes are currently virtual. Availability varies by clinician and location.

Your experiences have a context

There is more to your story than an identity or a diagnosis.

You might feel certain about who you are and want support with something else. You might be finding language for experiences you have carried for years. Both belong here.

Illustration of three friends standing close together and holding a transgender pride flag.
How you understand yourself

Your relationship with gender, sexuality, your body, and the people around you may hold questions, confidence, joy, uncertainty, or several feelings at once. You can explore what matters without having to arrive with a settled explanation.

What everyday life asks of you

Family expectations, cultural belonging, faith, racism, disability, work, and access to care can shape your experience. Relationships and communities may offer support while also bringing tensions that are difficult to name.

Together, we can explore what you are carrying, what helps you feel connected, and what support could look like in your actual life.

What LGBTQIA+ and gender-affirming therapy can support

Six areas of support. Explore what feels relevant to you.

Affirming care that centers LGBTQIA+ lives.

Affirming care respects your gender, sexuality, relationships, and right to make choices about your life. Centering LGBTQIA+ experiences means bringing attention to the communities, cultures, and conditions that shape those choices, including where you find support and where you encounter barriers.

Your priorities guide the work. You can focus on identity, everyday concerns, or the ways they connect.

Sexuality, identity & self-understanding

Room to explore the words, experiences, and relationships that feel meaningful to you.

More about this support

You may be questioning your sexuality, recognizing something about yourself later in life, or making sense of how your identity has changed. Therapy can offer space to explore attraction, belonging, relationships, and the expectations you have encountered.

You can take your time with labels and decide which ones, if any, feel useful.

Gender exploration & your relationship with your body

Support for trans, nonbinary, gender-diverse, and questioning people.

More about this support

You may want to talk about names and pronouns, gender expression, discomfort with your body or how others perceive you, or moments when you feel more at home in yourself.

We can explore your hopes, uncertainties, relationships, and choices about social or medical transition. Your goals guide the conversation, including when you are still figuring out what those goals are.

Coming out, privacy & belonging

Making decisions about what to share, with whom, and when.

More about this support

Being known can mean different things in different parts of your life. You may be open with friends while remaining private at work, with relatives, or in a faith community.

We can consider your relationships, safety, financial circumstances, and sources of support together. You decide what you want to share and what you want to keep private.

Anxiety, trauma, grief & everyday stress

Care for the concerns that bring you to therapy.

More about this support

You may be navigating anxiety, painful experiences, grief, burnout, or a difficult life transition. Some concerns may connect with your experiences as an LGBTQIA+ person. Others may have a different focus.

Our work can make room for both, including the effects of discrimination, rejection, or having to repeatedly explain yourself.

Relationships, family & chosen family

Understanding connection, boundaries, and the people who matter to you.

More about this support

Therapy can support conversations about intimacy, communication, family expectations, changing roles, and how you want to be treated in your relationships.

You can explore these concerns individually. Selected clinicians also offer couples and adult family therapy, including support for polyamorous, consensually non-monogamous, and kink communities.

Explore Couples & Family Therapy

Neurodivergence & intersecting experiences

Making room for how you communicate, connect, and experience the world.

More about this support

If you are LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent, you may want a therapist who considers these experiences together. Sessions can explore sensory needs, masking, communication differences, relationships, and the effort involved in navigating expectations.

Let us know what helps you participate comfortably and what you would like your therapist to understand.

Explore Neurodivergent Care

Our approach

How we work with you

We begin with what you want support with and get to know the circumstances around it.

Your understanding of yourself matters.

Start with your priorities

You can bring a specific concern, a question, or a sense that something needs attention. Together, we identify what you would like from therapy.

Respect your language and choices

We work to use the names, pronouns, and language you share with us. Your decisions about identity, relationships, disclosure, and transition remain yours.

Understand your experiences in context

We consider relationships, culture, community, and the conditions of everyday life alongside your thoughts and feelings. These can help us understand how familiar patterns developed and what change might require.

Make room for feedback

You can ask questions, correct an assumption, or say when something is not helping. Your feedback helps shape the direction and pace of our work.

Schedule an Appointment

People you can work with

Meet clinicians who offer LGBTQIA+ and gender-affirming support

You may want a therapist who understands neurodivergence, reproductive experiences, trauma, or a particular question about identity. Explore their approaches and share what matters to you when requesting an appointment.

Swipe or scroll to meet the clinicians

Kalem Wright

Kalem Wright

LCSW · he/him

Gender, neurodivergence & self-understanding

More about his support

Kalem supports LGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse people navigating neurodivergence, trauma, anxiety, and life changes. His approach considers your experiences alongside your relationships and the wider circumstances shaping your life.

Read About Kalem
Gretchen Bateman

Gretchen Bateman

she/her

Identity, neurodivergence & life changes

More about her support

Gretchen supports LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent people navigating grief, anxiety, work stress, and transitions. Her approach is collaborative, with room to explore what is no longer working and what meaningful change could look like for you.

Read About Gretchen
Colleen Kilbane

Colleen Kilbane

Therapist Intern · she/her

Identity, reproductive experiences & grief

More about her support

Colleen supports people navigating LGBTQIA+ experiences, reproductive mental health concerns, trauma, and loss. Her approach makes room for your culture, relationships, and the meanings you bring to your experiences.

Read About Colleen

Availability, fees, insurance participation, and appointment options vary by clinician. Share your preferences when requesting an appointment.

View All Clinicians
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A first step

Starting LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy

Complete our appointment request form and share what you would like support with. You can include preferences about your clinician, scheduling, and appointment location, along with anything you would like us to understand when considering a match.

You can begin with the words you have.

Schedule an Appointment

All intakes are currently virtual.

In-person options and locations

Our offices are in Downtown Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill, and Indiana, Pennsylvania. In-person openings are limited and discussed with your clinician during intake.

Explore Our Locations

Have a question before completing the form?

412-660-6100 info@forwardwellnesscounseling.com

Questions about LGBTQIA+ and gender-affirming therapy

What does LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy mean?

It means working with a therapist who respects your sexuality, gender, and relationships, and considers how these intersect with the rest of your life.

At Forward Wellness, your identity is respected as part of who you are. The work focuses on the concerns and goals you bring.

Do I need to be certain about my sexuality or gender?

No. You can come to therapy while questioning, exploring, or deciding whether particular language fits. You can also seek support when you feel clear about your identity.

There is no expectation that you arrive at a particular label or decision.

Can I come for something unrelated to being LGBTQIA+?

Yes. You may want help with anxiety, grief, work stress, trauma, relationships, or another concern.

Your therapist can respect your identity while following the focus that matters to you.

Is this the same as medical gender-affirming care?

This page describes counseling and mental health support. Hormone treatment and surgery are provided by medical professionals.

Our therapists can support conversations about your experiences and goals, and help you explore relevant resources or care coordination where appropriate.

Can you help with a letter for gender-affirming medical care?

Selected clinicians offer support with referral letters for gender-affirming medical care.

When contacting us, explain what documentation you have been asked for and any relevant deadlines. We can discuss clinician availability, the process, and fees before arranging an appointment.

Do you work with LGBTQIA+ couples and families?

Yes. Selected clinicians offer couples and adult family therapy. This can include communication, intimacy, boundaries, gender-related changes, and family relationships.

Selected clinicians also work with polyamorous, consensually non-monogamous, and kink communities.

Our family therapy service is for adults. Babies in arms are welcome.

Learn About Couples & Family Therapy
Can I access therapy online outside Pittsburgh?

Online therapy is available across Pennsylvania, including for people who do not live near our offices.

Let us know where you will be attending sessions and your scheduling preferences so we can consider an appropriate clinician.

What does therapy cost, and do you accept insurance?

Fees and insurance participation vary by clinician. Depending on the clinician and specific plan, accepted insurance includes:

  • UPMC Commercial
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial
  • Cigna/Evernorth
  • Aetna
  • UnitedHealthcare/Optum

Selected clinicians accept Medical Assistance through CCBH for Allegheny County only. Self-pay and sliding-scale options also vary.

Please confirm your specific plan, clinician’s participation, and expected costs before scheduling.

Care and community

Support beyond the therapy room

Connection might also come through friends, chosen family, peer support, cultural spaces, or community organizations. Therapy can be one part of that wider network.

These organizations offer information about their own support and resources:

Visit each organization’s website for current programs and ways to connect.

PFLAG Pittsburgh Support, education, and connection for LGBTQIA+ people and those who love them. SisTers PGH Trans-led community programs, housing support, and advocacy.

Care, connection & practical support

LGBTQIA+ and gender-affirming resources

The support you need may include medical care, community connection, housing resources, information about your rights, or somewhere to begin asking questions.

These organizations offer different kinds of support in Pittsburgh, across Pennsylvania, and online. Explore the categories below to find what feels relevant to you.

Services, eligibility, costs, and availability can change. Please contact each organization directly for current information.

Choose a category to explore its resources.

Medical and gender-affirming health care Explore providers offering medical care and related services. 5 resources

Age eligibility and appointment requirements vary by service and provider.

Online gender-affirming care Explore virtual care options and check availability where you live. 2 resources
  • FOLX Health

    Virtual LGBTQIA+ health care, including gender-affirming hormone therapy and other health services.

  • Plume

    Virtual gender-affirming hormone care for transgender adults, with services and eligibility that vary by state.

Check each provider’s current Pennsylvania availability, age requirements, fees, insurance options, and prescription arrangements.

Community, housing & practical support Find local connection and support with everyday needs. 4 resources
  • PFLAG Pittsburgh

    Support, education, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ people and those who love them, including meetings and community resources.

  • Trans YOUniting

    A Black trans-led organization offering mutual aid, housing support, food assistance, transportation support, and community connection.

  • SisTers PGH

    A trans-led organization centering Black, Indigenous, and other people of the Global Majority who are transgender or nonbinary. Its work includes housing, community programs, and advocacy.

  • Proud Haven

    Resources and practical support for LGBTQIA+ young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Contact the organization for current housing options and eligibility.

Rights, identity documents & advocacy Find information to help you explore your options and identify relevant support. 3 resources
National resources & further reading Explore information, community perspectives, and educational resources. 6 resources

Your next step

Start with what you want support with.

You may want to understand yourself more fully, work through something painful, feel more connected in your relationships, or find support for everyday life.

Tell us what has been happening and what you hope could feel different.

Schedule an Appointment Meet Our Clinicians