Mental Health

Mental health is important for everyone. It impacts every area of our lives. Maintaining a positive mental health and treating any mental health conditions  is crucial to stabilizing constructive behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. Focusing on mental health care can increase productivity, enhance our self-image, and improve relationships. 

Nurturing mental health doesn’t just improve our daily functioning, but it can also help us control — or at least combat — some of the physical health problems directly linked to mental health conditions. For example, heart disease and stress are related, so managing stress might have a positive outcome on heart disease.

Other benefits of taking care of our mental health can include:

  • Improving our mood
  • Reducing our anxiety
  • Creating an enhanced sense of inner peace
  • Thinking more clearly
  • Improving our relationships
  • Increasing our self-esteem

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community can put a strain on mental health for a number of reasons. Discrimination, feelings of shame, anxiety about being your true self, unaccepting family or friends- the list goes on. It’s very important to take care of your mental health in the best way that you can. And it’s important to do so with an affirming and LGBTQ+ friendly counselor or mental health provider. The wrong provider, such as one who is biased against the LGBTQ+ community, could actually impact your mental health negatively.

 

 

Health is a fundamental human right.

 

“The LGBTQ community faces unique healthcare needs, and access to mental health treatment without stigma is among the most pressing.” – Dr. Rachel Levine, Secretary of Health

Mental Health Providers

Listed below you will find a list of LGBTQ+ friendly mental health providers that are local to the Woodstock, VA area within about a 35 mile radius and/or offers telehealth services that local residents can take advantage of.

Sean Gray

LOCATION: Annandale VA BUT primarily uses telehealth.

SPECIALTIES: anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, racial trauma, LGBTQ challenges, parent-child relational issues, foster care,  aging milestones and parenting & divorce with high conflict personalities.

 

MODALITIES: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and Brief Solution Focused Therapy.

Sean has over 10 years of professional experience working with individuals and families involved in child welfare, juvenile justice  system, and adult and aging services providing individual and family counseling.

Website

 

Sandra Morton

LOCATION: Richmond VA BUT only uses telehealth.

SPECIALTIES: anxiety, trauma, EMDR, mindfulness, PTSD, chronic illness, depression, women’s issues.

 

MODALITIES: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), individual therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Sandra has over 30 years of experience in the Behavioral Health field. She uses evidence-based interventions, a broad range of experience, humor, a bit of intuition, and a few tricks of her own. She also has experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals with great feedback from individuals within the LGBTQ+ community.

Website