Dec 8
A new page has been added briefly outlining major areas of focus for my practice, including populations, problems/concerns, clinical approach, and modalities of treatment. Part site map in progress, part mission statement, this outline is developing here: drgeoffreysteinberg.com/Expertise.
Relationship concerns are among the most common reasons gay men seek help from psychotherapy. This holds true both for single men who are having difficulty forming relationships and partnered men experiencing an impasse in their relationship. As part of a collection of posts on gay men’s mental health, I would like to share some thoughts on relationship issues from both a psychoanalytic perspective and from the perspective of developmental and cultural factors particular to gay men.... Continue reading the full post at chelseatherapy.com/relationships
I think of coming out as not simply solving a problem, but rather making a developmental leap toward becoming your true self. While many commonalities exist among coming out stories, each person’s experience is unique to the emotional, interpersonal, and cultural contexts in which they are embedded. Going through a process of recognizing the internal and external forces that held you back, while building the strengths to overcome such adversity, can be personally transformative in ways that often supersede the initial problem of being closeted... Continue reading the full post at chelseatherapy.com
If you think back to when you were in the closet, you may remember how important it seemed to keep your feelings of attraction hidden. Alternatively, your mind may have protected you from the stress of hiding by repressing your sexual feelings, making them unknown to yourself. Significant anxiety typically accompanies either hiding or repressing sexual feelings, due to the fear that others might detect and judge your true desires, or that those desires that a part of you deemed unacceptable might break through into your conscious awareness.
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.
ChelseaTherapy.com is the microsite for the gay affirmative psychotherapy specialty area of my practice. In recognition of this year’s Pride, I’ll be posting additional content on specific mental health issues for gay men, including: social anxiety, coming out, relationships, overcoming shame & internalized homophobia, integration of social & sexual identities, and more. Select the Follow dialog at lower right to subscribe for updates throughout June.
On October 12, 2012, I'll be attending another installment of the In conversation with series at the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute (NYSPI), in which Lois Oppenheim, Ph.D. interviews some of the greatest creative and literary figures of our time. The series' blend of cultural exploration and psychoanalytic inquiry continues this week when her guest will be Edmund White.
Since 2000, I've been hosting a website for the Passariello Colloquium, a project to which I contributed as part of a working group on LGBT Issues in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England. Because the Colloquium website will soon be taken out of service, I wanted to be sure its contents would remain archived. Following is a brief history of the Colloquium and descriptions of the events we put on in 2000 and 2001. I have particularly fond memories of the 2000 Colloquium, in which students and faculty were invited to 'walk in the shoes' of an LGBT person and report back on their experiences. The aim of our working group, led by Dr. Susan Hawes, was to enhance the cultural competence in LGBT issues for psychology students in training through in-vivo experiences.
Today, an ever-increasing portion of social life takes place through digital media. Text messages, Skype, Twitter, and Facebook are just a few of the innovative environments where crucial social exchanges occur in people's lives. From online dating to break-ups by text, It is becoming commonplace for personal relationships both to begin and end by way of technology.
I was quoted in the online magazine Edge New York in a story about the power of language to both liberate and oppress. My quotes are copied here, or follow the link for the full article.
Geoffrey Steinberg, Psy.D. 