Couples Therapy

Couples therapy is a format of psychotherapy aimed at assisting individuals in addressing problems they feel unable to solve on their own. Couples in which one or both partners hold a minority sexual or gender identity or who are seeking to address issues related to sexuality or gender identity may seek LGBTQ couples therapy. Since the removal of homosexuality from the list of psychiatric disorders in 1974, scholarly articles and mainstream psychotherapy texts focusing on LGBTQ couples in therapy have steadily increased in visibility. Informed by this literature, this entry will describe some of the most common concerns that LGBTQ couples address in therapy, as well as provide information about accessing LGBTQ couples therapy.