Love is Love: A Call to Other Couples/Marriage Counselors

When I began Encite Counseling to help couples and marriages understand their relationships better I did so without understanding a crucial piece of couples counseling. That crucial piece was not presented to me until the day that I received a phone call from a prospective client asking me if I take same LGBT couples as clients.

The importance of the question did not immediately resignate with me because I never put a box around the type of couples I would see. It just does not make sense to me. So without hesitation I answered yes but I followed up with a question as to why it was that they felt the need to ask me if I take LGBT couples as clients.

This lead to a pause by my perspective client to which they responded that they had called around to multiple couples counselors and many said no, they do not take LGBT couples as clients.

Maybe I am naive, optimistic, or have rose colored glasses but never did I think that in Orlando, couples counselors would refuse to see a couple based on their gender, sex, or orientation. This really floored me but I quickly came the realization that the reason why I never thought that an LGBT couple would have difficulty finding a counselor was because of my own thoughts on couples and a privilege of being a sis-gender guy in a heterosexual relationship.

While I understand privilege of others all to well because being a latinx person has brought me many situations of which I was on the wrong side of privilege, this time I stood on the other side. From that day forward, I made it my goal for all of my couples to fully understand that they are welcomed as clients. Whether that be through having an “LGBT Friendly” sticker on google, through representation of LGBT couples on my website and blogs, or by reaching out to organizations that service the LGBT community in Orlando.

Now I call upon other couples/marriage counselors to put up something on your website, social media, or business account that makes LGBT couples feel safe coming to you. Love is Love. Everyone in a relationship deserves the opportunity to work on their relationship, continue to find love, without any judgement about their relationships.