Frequently Asked Questions


How does Psychotherapy work? What is Gaylesta? How can you help me to find a therapist? What should I look for in a therapist? What’s the difference between a licensed psychotherapist and another type of counselor? Is therapy for me? How does your “Locate a Therapist” work? I’m looking for a therapist somewhere other than in Northern California. Can you help me find an LGBT therapist in another location? Have the therapists I find on my search been verified in some way? Does Gaylesta endorse the sites found on the Resources page? How does Psychotherapy work? Psychotherapy is meeting, either 1-on-1, in a group, or with a partner or family group, along with a licensed psychotherapist (MFT, LCSW, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist. With a skilled therapist that you trust, you can express your entire self, even parts that you may have judged or kept hidden. In therapy you can consider new perspectives, attitudes, and feelings; learn new skills; and increase self-esteem. Via this process of trust and open communication, therapy can produce profound changes in one’s life. [Return to Top] What is Gaylesta? Gaylesta is the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender psychotherapists Association in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. We have been in existence since 1987. We have over 200 members, including psychotherapists of all licensures (MFT, LCSW, Psychologist) as well as psychiatrists. We also have pre-licensed therapists in our membership. The therapists listed on our website are all fully licensed. [Return to Top] How can you help me to find a therapist? Some of our licensed members participate in our internal referral service. You have three ways to find an appropriate therapist in our service: telephone referrals, online basic search, and online advanced search. Our phone referrals allow you to place a toll-free call and leave a message, 24/7; within 24 hours a licensed therapist with our referral service will call you back to discuss what you are looking for in a therapist, and to offer you referrals. Our online searches allow you to search our database for someone who meets your needs. You can indicate specifics such as expertise, location, insurance carrier, language spoken, and disability access in your search. [Return to Top] What should I look for in a therapist? It is important to find a therapist whose background, skills, and style match for your needs. For therapy to be effective, you need to feel understood, safe, and comfortable with the therapist you choose. LGBT individuals often prefer to work with a therapist who they feel has personal experience of growing up with a similar identity, or extensive training and experience in working with LGBT issues. The challenges presented by society to LGBT individuals can include judgments around sexual attitude, identify, sexual practices, lifestyles, and definitions of family. Many clients are faced with family abandonment, religious intolerance, workplace discrimination, grief and loss, legal challenges, etc. Working with a therapist who has intimate knowledge and experience of these challenges is often helpful to clients. [Return to Top] What’s the difference between a licensed psychotherapist and another type of counselor? To become licensed, a psychotherapist must achieve a master’s or doctorate degree, complete over 3000 hours of clinical work that is supervised by a licensed professional, and pass two state Board exams. A person can advertise themselves as a counselor, life coach, advisor, etc. without needing to satisfy any educational criteria, and without having anyone review their work to ensure that it meets minimum standards of safety and reliability. Only sessions with a licensed psychotherapist can be paid for (or reimbursed) by insurance carriers. [Return to Top] Is therapy for me ? Therapy can help almost anyone, particularly when life presents unique challenges such as loss of a partner, spouse, parent, or job. It can also help when stresses feel overwhelming, or if your moods are dominated by feelings of sadness, indecision, fear, isolation, or hopelessness. Many people also find therapy helpful in dealing with problems related to substance use; or by chronic conditions. If your life isn’t what you’d like it to be, or if you are just not happy, then therapy may help you to feel supported, understood, and that change is possible. It can provide a fresh perspective on your situation, and new directions to pursue. Motivation to change and finding a professional with whom you are comfortable are important factors in determining if therapy will help you. [Return to Top] How does your “Locate a Therapist” work ? Our online search options offer pull-down menus that allow you to specify different parameters for your search. The Basic Search allows you to specify the type of therapy you’re seeking, areas of focus, and geographic location. In addition to these, the advanced search also allows you to specify insurance coverage, specialized training, theoretical orientation, languages, and disability accommodations. When you specify more than one criterion, we will look for a therapist that meets all of the criteria you specified. If the search results don’t give you enough options, try removing one or more criteria, or specifying them one at a time. Both online methods are quick, easy to use, and reliable. Give them a try! [Return to Top] I’m looking for a therapist somewhere other than in Northern California. Can you help me find an LGBT therapist in another location? Our members know a good many LGBT therapists in different parts of the country. Call our telephone referral system, or use the ‘Contact Us’ link to send us an email, and indicate where you are looking for a therapist. We’ll do our best to find an appropriate referral in that area, and get back to you with it. [Return to Top] Have the therapists I find on my search been verified in some way? All of the information contained in the Locate a Therapist pages has been provided to Gaylesta by the therapists described therein. Gaylesta has not reviewed, investigated or evaluated the authenticity, accuracy or completeness of the information contained there. Gaylesta makes no guarantee as to the qualifications or the competence of those listed. All therapists in our referral service have been fully licensed within a year of when they are listed on the site. To verify the license of a particular therapist, or to see if there is any pending action against him or her, you can use the website of the appropriate governing agency. A list of these sites can be found on our Resources page, under the heading ‘Professional and Regulatory Agencies’. [Return to Top] Does Gaylesta endorse the sites found on the Resources page? Our site contains links to other Internet sites and to some email addresses. Such links are provided for the convenience of the user and Gaylesta does not endorse, approve of or make any warranties or representations as to accuracy of the information contained in any site to which any user may be linked. Persons or entities using any of the links or email addresses contained herein do so at their own risk. [Return to Top]

How does Psychotherapy work?

What is Gaylesta?

How can you help me to find a therapist?

What should I look for in a therapist?

What’s the difference between a licensed psychotherapist and another type of counselor?

Is therapy for me?

How does your “Locate a Therapist” work?

I’m looking for a therapist somewhere other than in Northern California. Can you help me find an LGBT therapist in another location?

Have the therapists I find on my search been verified in some way?

Does Gaylesta endorse the sites found on the Resources page?

How does Psychotherapy work?
Psychotherapy is meeting, either 1-on-1, in a group, or with a partner or family group, along with a licensed psychotherapist (MFT, LCSW, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist. With a skilled therapist that you trust, you can express your entire self, even parts that you may have judged or kept hidden. In therapy you can consider new perspectives, attitudes, and feelings; learn new skills; and increase self-esteem. Via this process of trust and open communication, therapy can produce profound changes in one’s life.
[Return to Top]

What is Gaylesta?
Gaylesta is the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender psychotherapists Association in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. We have been in existence since 1987. We have over 200 members, including psychotherapists of all licensures (MFT, LCSW, Psychologist) as well as psychiatrists. We also have pre-licensed therapists in our membership. The therapists listed on our website are all fully licensed.
[Return to Top]

How can you help me to find a therapist?
Some of our licensed members participate in our internal referral service. You have three ways to find an appropriate therapist in our service: telephone referrals, online basic search, and online advanced search. Our phone referrals allow you to place a toll-free call and leave a message, 24/7; within 24 hours a licensed therapist with our referral service will call you back to discuss what you are looking for in a therapist, and to offer you referrals. Our online searches allow you to search our database for someone who meets your needs. You can indicate specifics such as expertise, location, insurance carrier, language spoken, and disability access in your search.
[Return to Top]

What should I look for in a therapist?
It is important to find a therapist whose background, skills, and style match for your needs. For therapy to be effective, you need to feel understood, safe, and comfortable with the therapist you choose. LGBT individuals often prefer to work with a therapist who they feel has personal experience of growing up with a similar identity, or extensive training and experience in working with LGBT issues. The challenges presented by society to LGBT individuals can include judgments around sexual attitude, identify, sexual practices, lifestyles, and definitions of family. Many clients are faced with family abandonment, religious intolerance, workplace discrimination, grief and loss, legal challenges, etc.   Working with a therapist who has intimate knowledge and experience of these challenges is often helpful to clients.
[Return to Top]

What’s the difference between a licensed psychotherapist and another type of counselor?
To become licensed, a psychotherapist must achieve a master’s or doctorate degree, complete over 3000 hours of clinical work that is supervised by a licensed professional, and pass two state Board exams. A person can advertise themselves as a counselor, life coach, advisor, etc. without needing to satisfy any educational criteria, and without having anyone review their work to ensure that it meets minimum standards of safety and reliability. Only sessions with a licensed psychotherapist can be paid for (or reimbursed) by insurance carriers.
[Return to Top]

Is therapy for me ?
Therapy can help almost anyone, particularly when life presents unique challenges such as loss of a partner, spouse, parent, or job. It can also help when stresses feel overwhelming, or if your moods are dominated by feelings of sadness, indecision, fear, isolation, or hopelessness. Many people also find therapy helpful in dealing with problems related to substance use; or by chronic conditions. If your life isn’t what you’d like it to be, or if you are just not happy, then therapy may help you to feel supported, understood, and that change is possible. It can provide a fresh perspective on your situation, and new directions to pursue. Motivation to change and finding a professional with whom you are comfortable are important factors in determining if therapy will help you.
[Return to Top]

How does your “Locate a Therapist” work ?
Our online search options offer pull-down menus that allow you to specify different parameters for your search. The Basic Search allows you to specify the type of therapy you’re seeking, areas of focus, and geographic location. In addition to these, the advanced search also allows you to specify insurance coverage, specialized training, theoretical orientation, languages, and disability accommodations.
When you specify more than one criterion, we will look for a therapist that meets all of the criteria you specified. If the search results don’t give you enough options, try removing one or more criteria, or specifying them one at a time.
Both online methods are quick, easy to use, and reliable. Give them a try!
[Return to Top]

I’m looking for a therapist somewhere other than in Northern California. Can you help me find an LGBT therapist in another location?
Our members know a good many LGBT therapists in different parts of the country. Call our telephone referral system, or use the ‘Contact Us’ link to send us an email, and indicate where you are looking for a therapist. We’ll do our best to find an appropriate referral in that area, and get back to you with it.
[Return to Top]

Have the therapists I find on my search been verified in some way?
All of the information contained in the Locate a Therapist pages has been provided to Gaylesta by the therapists described therein. Gaylesta has not reviewed, investigated or evaluated the authenticity, accuracy or completeness of the information contained there. Gaylesta makes no guarantee as to the qualifications or the competence of those listed.
All therapists in our referral service have been fully licensed within a year of when they are listed on the site. To verify the license of a particular therapist, or to see if there is any pending action against him or her, you can use the website of the appropriate governing agency. A list of these sites can be found on our Resources page, under the heading ‘Professional and Regulatory Agencies’.
[Return to Top]

Does Gaylesta endorse the sites found on the Resources page?
Our site contains links to other Internet sites and to some email addresses. Such links are provided for the convenience of the user and Gaylesta does not endorse, approve of or make any warranties or representations as to accuracy of the information contained in any site to which any user may be linked. Persons or entities using any of the links or email addresses contained herein do so at their own risk.
[Return to Top]