New post on ChelseaTherapy.com: Social Anxiety and Gay Men

Social anxiety is one of the most frequent concerns I encounter among gay men in my practice. It makes sense if you think about it. Prior to coming out, most of us feared others would reject us if they knew the truth about who we are. Unfortunately, for those whose families did reject them or whose peers bullied them because of their sexual identity, this fear proved to be accurate.

Coming out does not necessarily eradicate the fear of rejection. Sensitivity to rejection may persist into the present day while socializing with other gay men. Though the focus of concern may shift away from the fact of being gay to some other area of insecurity–for example, body image–the fear itself is similar in experience and resultant isolation.

Read the full post here: http://chelseatherapy.com/2013/05/28/social-anxiety-gay-men/

Follow my gay affirmative psychotherapy microsite, ChelseaTherapy.com, for clinical topics on gay mental health throughout June 2013.