
This blog is authored by Jamie Bragg, MA, QMHP, a member of the IntraSpectrum Counseling clinical team.
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For many LGBTQ+ folks, developing healthy, secure connections can be a real challenge — especially when you’ve faced rejection, discrimination, or family struggles because of your identity. But here’s the thing: what relationships hurt, relationships can heal. Group therapy can be a game-changer when it comes to relearning how to form those important bonds, improve your connections with others, and create healthy relationships.
So, how can group therapy help LGBTQ+ clients?
A Safe Place to Be Yourself
One of the hardest things to deal with as an LGBTQ+ person is the feeling that you’re just… different. Whether it’s because of family rejection, being ostracized by your community, or simply not seeing yourself reflected in mainstream media, it can be easy to feel like there’s something wrong with you. But in group therapy, you can find a space where you are not alone. When you’re surrounded by people who get it—people who’ve walked a similar path—you can begin to experience what it’s like to be accepted just as you are. This is the first step in building secure, healthy attachments. The group setting offers a predictable, supportive environment where you can express yourself and feel safe doing so. The group leader’s role here is critical—they model the kind of consistent, secure support that everyone in the group can learn from. It’s like they’re showing you that healthy relationships can exist, and you don’t have to hide who you are.
Trust, Step by Step
Trust is tough. Especially if you’ve been hurt by people in your past—whether it’s a family member who rejected you after coming out or a romantic partner who didn’t accept your identity. Learning to trust again is a big deal. Group therapy lets you rebuild that trust, one step at a time, without pressure. You don’t have to dive in head-first, but you do get to test out the waters by sharing with a group that truly understands.
What makes it easier? The shared experiences. Being part of a group where everyone knows what it feels like to be an LGBTQ+ person in a world that often isn’t kind makes it a lot easier to open up. You’re not explaining your experience to someone who’s unfamiliar with it. Instead, you’re with people who get it, which helps break down the barriers of trust.
Healing from Past Wounds
For a lot of LGBTQ+ people, past relationships—especially with family—can leave some deep scars. Maybe your parents cut ties when they found out you were queer, or you’ve dealt with rejection in relationships because of your gender identity. These experiences can affect how we approach all of our relationships going forward. They can make us scared of being vulnerable or hesitant to get too close to others.
In group therapy, there’s an opportunity to heal those wounds. You can process your feelings of grief, anger, and loss in a safe space, while also receiving support from others who know exactly what you’re going through. Over time, you start to see that it’s possible to have healthy, trusting relationships—even if your past didn’t provide that model.
Learning How to Set Boundaries and Communicate
Healthy relationships thrive on clear boundaries and good communication. But if you’ve never seen a healthy relationship in action, it can be hard to know what that even looks like. In group therapy, you’ll get a chance to practice these skills—whether it’s asking for support when you need it or setting a limit when someone crosses a line.
Role-playing is often a big part of group therapy. You might act out a scenario where you need to confront a friend about their behavior or speak up about a need in a relationship. Through these exercises, you’ll build the confidence to express your emotions without fear of rejection. It’s not always easy, but in a group setting, it feels a lot safer to take those steps. Plus, you’ll get feedback from others, which can be incredibly valuable in learning how to communicate
effectively.
Working Through the Fear of Rejection
A lot of LGBTQ+ folks carry around the fear that if they show their true selves, they’ll be rejected. Maybe it’s from a past experience where you came out and weren’t accepted, or maybe it’s just a deep-seated fear that others won’t be able to handle who you really are. This fear can keep you from truly connecting with others and creating the kind of healthy relationships you deserve.
Here’s the thing: group therapy helps you test those fears in real life. In the group, you get to express who you are—whether that’s sharing your experience as a queer person or talking about the challenges you face as someone with a non-binary identity. And when the group responds with empathy and support, it challenges those fears. Over time, you begin to realize that not everyone will reject you, and that it’s possible to form secure attachments without
having to hide any part of yourself.
Navigating Relationships in the LGBTQ+ Community
Navigating relationships as an LGBTQ+ person comes with its own set of challenges. There are questions around acceptance, both from others and within the community. Romantic relationships can sometimes feel more complicated because of societal pressures or concerns about feeling “othered” in queer spaces. Group therapy helps by providing a space to talk about those specific struggles, whether it’s handling microaggressions in queer dating or finding support when you feel excluded.
What’s really powerful is that the group lets you learn from others who are in similar situations. You can swap stories, share tips, and learn what’s working for others in terms of building relationships. You might even find new perspectives on how to handle relationship conflicts or how to address concerns around identity within your relationships.
Boosting Emotional Resilience
Developing emotional resilience—being able to bounce back after tough moments or challenging emotions—is key to building healthy attachments. But for many LGBTQ+ clients, dealing with societal rejection or microaggressions can sometimes leave you feeling drained or emotionally raw. In group therapy, you’ll get to practice emotional regulation in real time, with the group’s support. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or triggered, there’s space to talk about it,
reflect on it, and get advice from others who understand.
You’ll also get to learn how others in the group manage their emotions, which can offer new strategies for handling difficult situations in your personal life. Group therapy helps you feel more emotionally equipped for the ups and downs of relationships and life, and builds your confidence in dealing with emotional challenges in healthy ways.
A Place to Belong
Lastly, let’s talk about belonging. Feeling connected to others is essential for building secure attachments. As an LGBTQ+ person, you might have struggled with isolation, whether that’s from family, friends, or society at large. Group therapy gives you the chance to form deep, authentic connections with others who get it. Over time, these connections help to break down the feelings of loneliness and isolation that many LGBTQ+ folks experience.
In Group Therapy
In group therapy, you’re not just learning to communicate better or set boundaries—you’re building a new kind of family. You’re finding people who truly understand your experience and who want to see you thrive. And that, in itself, can be an incredibly healing experience. My own experience leading and co-leading groups in addiction recovery, relational attachments, and healthy intimacy has shown me that groups create lifelong friendships and lifelong change.
Not Ready to Join a Group? Try Individual Therapy
Individual therapy offers the same opportunities to relearn how to build a relationship from the ground up. I believe emotions are the key to understanding and guiding behavior, and both individual and group therapy share goals of secure emotional attachment, emotional awareness, and emotional healing. My therapeutic approach also tries to understand clients in the context of their relationships and relationship patterns. Both individual and group therapy share goals of improving relational patterns and self-regulation within relationships.
In Therapy, You Heal
Therapy provides a safe space to explore how past relationships shaped the way you connect today. Through this process, you challenge old patterns and work on trusting yourself again. It’s all about learning how to communicate your needs, set healthy boundaries, and build stronger, more secure connections in the future.
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This blog is authored by Jamie Bragg, MA, QMHP, a member of the IntraSpectrum Counseling clinical team. IntraSpectrum Counseling is Chicago’s leading psychotherapy practice dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community. Every day, we strive to provide the highest quality mental health care for clients of all ages and across the spectrum of identities. For anyone needing affirming and validating support or healing with any issue, please click here or email us at help@intraspectrum-chicago.com.