AFFIRMING THERAPY FOR WHEN YOU’RE DONE SHRINKING YOURSELF.
LGBTQIA+ Therapy in Sierra Madre, CA
Services available virtually throughout California & Utah
You've spent enough time making yourself smaller — in rooms that weren't built for you, with people who didn't quite get it, maybe even in a therapist's office where you left feeling more misunderstood than when you walked in. This is different.
LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy with me is a space where you don't have to explain your pronouns, justify your relationship structure, or brace for a response that makes you regret being honest. You can show up exactly as you are (questioning, certain, in-between, or all of it at once) and be met with curiosity, not correction.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?
You’re in the right place if…
⟡ You've sat in a therapist's office and spent more energy managing their discomfort than actually healing.
⟡ You're navigating questions about your gender, sexuality, or relationship structure — and you need someone who can actually hold all of it.
⟡ You're carrying wounds from rejection or shame that have never had real space to heal.
⟡ You've gotten good at performing "okay" — even in spaces that are supposed to be safe.
⟡ You've internalized so many messages about who you should be that you're not sure what you actually believe anymore.
⟡ You feel torn between wanting to show up fully and the fear that you'll be "too much" — or not queer enough.
LGBTQIA+ Therapy in Sierra Madre, CA can help!
What if you could go from:
⟡Questioning if you’re “too much” or “not enough”
→To feeling grounded in your identity
⟡Carrying shame from past rejection
→To feeling worthy in your authenticity
⟡Silencing parts of yourself to stay safe
→To expressing your truth without apology or fear
⟡Dreading vulnerability after being hurt
→To building relationships that actually feel safe
⟡Feeling lost between labels, expectations, or roles
→To trusting your own inner compass
Step 1.
You get to exhale. From the first session, this is a space where you don't have to filter yourself. No hidden assumptions about who you are or who you should be. Just room to share what you've been carrying — all of it — without fear of judgment or the quiet discomfort you've learned to watch for.
Step 2.
We make sense of what happened. Together, we'll explore how past experiences — family rejection, religious harm, or years of survival-mode coping — shaped the way you move through the world now. Not to dwell in the past, but to understand what's been keeping you stuck, and what it might feel like to finally put it down.
Step 3.
You build a life that feels like yours. You'll develop tools for deeper self-trust, firmer boundaries, and a real connection to your identity and your body. Not just to feel "better" — but to feel free. Grounded. Like yourself, maybe for the first time in a long time.
MEET YOUR SIERRA MADRE LGBTQIA+ THERAPIST
STEPHANIE HARIMOTO, LMFT
I know what it's like to sit across from a therapist and wonder — will this be safe? Will I have to explain myself again? Will I leave feeling more exposed than supported?
If you've been hurt in a space that was supposed to help, I want you to know: that's not your fault, and it's not inevitable.
I'm Stephanie, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who specializes in working with queer and questioning adults who are healing from trauma, shame, and the weight of years of not being fully seen. Whether you're carrying wounds from family rejection, religious harm, or simply the cumulative exhaustion of navigating a world that wasn't designed with you in mind — I'm here to offer support that actually honors your whole self.
In our work together, your identity isn't a problem to be solved or a complication to work around. It's the starting point. My approach is warm, direct, and rooted in the belief that healing happens when you're finally met with the safety to tell the truth. You don't have to shrink here.
GET THE ANSWERS YOU NEED
Questions you might be sitting with:
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That's one of the most important questions you can ask — and the fact that you're asking it makes complete sense.
Being misgendered, having your identity treated as the problem, or sitting with a therapist who meant well but just didn't get it. Those experiences are real, and they leave a mark.
This space was built with that in mind. Your identity isn't something to be explored with curiosity or navigated carefully here — it's simply honored. There are no hidden assumptions about who you are or who you should be, no moment where you'll need to manage my reaction.
I can't promise perfection. What I can promise is that if something doesn't feel right, we talk about it. Your comfort and safety in this space matter, and that includes feeling safe enough to tell me when something isn't working.
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Absolutely. Your identity is important, but it’s not all of you. We can work on anxiety, trauma, relationship patterns, family dynamics, or anything else that’s coming up in your life. Whatever you need this space for is how we will use our time.
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Not at all! Questioning is a valid place to be. Whether you’re newly exploring or have been out for years and still untangling things, therapy is a space to keep getting curious. You don’t have to have it all figured out!
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Yes. I affirm and support clients in polyamorous, non-monogamous, chosen family, and other non-traditional relationship setups. Your relationships don’t need to fit a mold to be respected here.
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Absolutely. Many LGBTQIA+ folks carry shame or fear rooted in spiritual or religious upbringing. I specialize in working with clients navigating these intersections, especially when faith has been used to cause harm.
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My fee for services is $225 per 50-minute session. I have a limited amount of sliding scale slots that will be prioritized for BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ clients. There is no guarantee that any of these will be available at the time you call. Please let me know if you need sliding scale fees during our call. If I cannot accommodate, I am happy to point you in a direction to meet your financial needs.
*If you are a Utah resident, please reach out to me regarding therapy rates!
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I am currently considered to be an out of network mental health provider.
I am happy to provide you a superbill each month to give to your insurance. Please check with your insurance about your out of network mental health benefits - many of my clients are able to get reimbursement from their insurance.
Why you should consider working with an “out of network” therapist:
No limitations on sessions. We can meet for as long as you need without having to worry if insurance will cut us off, or end coverage, which could abruptly end your care.
Allows me to offer you more flexible, personalized, and intentional care.
Helps me keep your information completely confidential, without needing to share diagnosis or notes with insurance companies.
Allows us to avoid surprise billing issues, which can lead to lapses in treatment.
Lets us focus on what’s best for you, not what insurance says is best for you!
NEED SOMETHING ELSE?
Other Services
THERAPY FOR RELIGIOUS TRAUMA
For anyone whose faith was used to shame, reject, or erase their identity — and who is ready to untangle what they were taught from what they actually believe.
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⟡ Process the intersection of religious harm and queer identity
⟡ Reclaim your sense of self beyond harmful doctrine
⟡ Set boundaries with faith communities or family
⟡ Find your own truth at your own pace
ANXIETY TREATMENT
For those whose nervous system never quite learned to relax — because for a long time, it wasn't safe to.
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⟡ Understand the roots of hypervigilance and chronic stress
⟡ Learn to feel safe in your body and your environment
⟡ Break the cycle of over-monitoring and people-pleasing
⟡ Build steadiness that doesn't depend on outside validation
THERAPY FOR TRAUMA & PTSD
For anyone carrying the weight of rejection, erasure, or harm — whether it happened once or accumulated over years of not being fully safe to be yourself.
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⟡ Process identity-based trauma at a pace that feels safe
⟡ Untangle survival patterns that once protected you
⟡ Reconnect with your body and sense of self
⟡ Heal in a space where your whole story is honored
EMDR Therapy
For those carrying shame or pain that talking alone hasn't been able to reach — EMDR works at the level of the body, where so much of queer trauma lives.
⟡ Process memories tied to rejection, shame, or harm
⟡ Release what your nervous system has been holding onto
⟡ Build a felt sense of safety — not just an intellectual one ⟡ Heal at the deeper level where identity wounds often sit
Ready to try something different with an LGBTQIA+ Therapist in Sierra Madre?
Let’s do it!
You've spent a long time managing on your own — questioning if support was even available to you, or if it was worth the risk of being hurt again.
It doesn't have to stay that way.
Reach out to schedule a free consultation. No pressure, no scripts. Just a conversation to see if working together feels right.