You Don’t Have to Explain. We Understand.
The Holistic Clinic offers affirming therapy for LGBTQI+ adults experiencing anxiety, chronic stress, burnout and difficulties with confidence or self-worth in person in London and online across the UK and internationally.
For LGBTQI+ clients, these difficulties can be intertwined with experiences of discrimination, code-switching, hypervigilance or feeling unable to be fully yourself. Your identity and social context are part of the conversation—not something you need to explain or defend.
Therapy combines structured CBT techniques with clinical hypnotherapy and other appropriate wellbeing approaches, tailored to your goals. Most sessions take place online, with some in-person sessions available in London.
How Can Therapy Help?
You may know what is causing your distress, or you may simply know that something does not feel right. Therapy offers a collaborative space to understand what is happening, identify the patterns maintaining it and develop practical ways of responding.
Anxiety and Panic
Anxiety can involve racing thoughts, constant worry, avoidance, physical tension or sudden waves of panic. For LGBTQI+ clients, concerns about judgement, rejection or safety can add another layer to these experiences.
Therapy can help you explore your triggers, work with unhelpful thought patterns and develop practical ways of responding when anxiety arises. The focus is on understanding your experience rather than telling you simply to “think positively” or “calm down”.
Chronic Stress and Burnout
Chronic stress can affect your sleep, energy, concentration, relationships and ability to enjoy everyday life. Work pressures, caring responsibilities and major life changes can all contribute. For some LGBTQI+ clients, code-switching, hypervigilance and the cumulative impact of minority stress add to the load.
Together, we can look at what is maintaining your stress, what needs to change and how you can protect your energy. This may include working with boundaries, perfectionism, self-criticism and difficulty switching off.
Confidence and Self-Worth
Persistent self-criticism, people-pleasing, imposter feelings or fear of being “too much” can make it difficult to trust yourself. These patterns often develop in response to earlier experiences and repeated external messages.
Therapy offers space to examine where these responses came from and whether they still serve you. The aim is to develop a more grounded relationship with yourself—one that does not depend entirely on approval, achievement or being chosen by others.
Learn more about the difficulties we work with and our therapeutic approach.
Why LGBTQI+-Affirming Therapy?
You should not have to spend your sessions educating your therapist about basic aspects of your identity before you can discuss what brought you to therapy.
Minority stress refers to the additional strain that can arise from stigma, discrimination, concealment and navigating unwelcoming or unsafe environments. These experiences can sit alongside the same work, relationship, family and health concerns that anyone may bring to therapy.
An affirming approach does not assume that every difficulty is caused by being LGBTQI+, or that every LGBTQI+ person has the same experience. It means making room for identity and social context while focusing on your individual circumstances and goals.
You do not need to be out, use a particular label or have everything figured out. We can start wherever you are.
What Is HypnoCBT?
HypnoCBT combines techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with clinical hypnotherapy.
CBT offers structured ways of exploring the connections between thoughts, emotions, physical responses and behaviour. Clinical hypnotherapy uses guided, focused attention and relaxation as part of the therapeutic process. Used together, these approaches can help us work with identifiable thought and behaviour patterns as well as automatic emotional responses.
Sessions are collaborative and tailored to your needs. During hypnosis, you remain aware and in control, and you can pause or stop at any time. Your therapist will discuss whether the approach is suitable for you and review progress with you as therapy continues.
Meet Your Therapist
The Holistic Clinic specialises in LGBTQI+-affirming support for anxiety, stress, burnout and self-worth. Germain’s approach is warm, practical and collaborative, with therapy shaped around what you want to change rather than a predetermined programme.
His training includes CBT, clinical hypnotherapy, stress management and resilience building, existential counselling and psychological wellbeing coaching. As a member of the LGBTQI+ community, he brings both professional training and an understanding of why an affirming therapeutic relationship matters.
You will not be expected to fit your experiences into a single explanation. Together, you can explore what is happening, identify what may help and agree a plan that feels manageable.
Professional association and directory:
The Complementary Medical Association | Germain’s Pink Therapy Profile
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HypnoCBT and how is it different from regular therapy?
HypnoCBT is an evidence-based approach that combines Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with clinical hypnotherapy. CBT helps you identify and change unhelpful thought patterns at a conscious level; hypnotherapy accesses the subconscious mind where many deep-seated patterns live. Together, they typically deliver faster and more lasting results than either approach alone — most clients see significant change in 6–12 sessions, compared to the 20+ sessions often needed in traditional talk therapy.
What is minority stress — and why does it matter for my mental health?
Minority stress is the chronic, cumulative psychological burden that LGBTQI+ people carry from navigating discrimination, concealment, and social pressure over time. Research (Meyer’s Minority Stress Model, 2003) shows this leads to significantly higher rates of anxiety, burnout, and depression in LGBTQI+ adults. Standard therapy often misses this dimension entirely — our affirming HypnoCBT approach addresses both the symptoms and the underlying minority stress patterns driving them.
How much does a session cost?
Sessions are available on a sliding scale of £70–90 per therapeutic hour, based on your circumstances. Concession pricing of £50 is available for those on lower incomes or in financial hardship — please just mention this when you get in touch. The initial 15-minute consultation is completely free with no obligation.
How many sessions will I need?
Most clients see significant improvement in 6–12 sessions. Because HypnoCBT works at both conscious and subconscious levels simultaneously, it often delivers change faster than traditional talk therapy alone. Your exact number of sessions depends on your situation, which we discuss during your free initial consultation.
Do you offer online sessions?
Yes. Most sessions are delivered online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, making therapy accessible anywhere in the UK and internationally. Some in-person sessions are available in London. Online HypnoCBT is just as effective as in-person — the depth of hypnotic relaxation and CBT work is not diminished by video.
Is hypnotherapy safe? Will I lose control?
Clinical hypnotherapy is completely safe and evidence-based — you remain fully in control throughout every session. Hypnosis is a state of focused relaxation, not unconsciousness. You cannot be made to do or say anything against your will, and you can end the session at any time. It is nothing like stage hypnosis.
Do I need to be LGBTQI+ to work with you?
No. While The Holistic Clinic specialises in LGBTQI+-affirming therapy and has deep expertise in minority stress, anyone experiencing anxiety, burnout, or confidence challenges is welcome. LGBTQI+ clients particularly benefit from not having to explain their identity or social context — we already understand the weight of being “other.”
Do I need to be “out” to work with you?
No. We meet you wherever you are in your journey. You don’t need any particular label or level of openness about your identity to access support here. Many clients come to us before they’ve fully made sense of their own identity — that’s a completely valid place to start.
I’m not sure I’m ready for therapy. Where do I even begin?
Start with the free 15-minute consultation — it’s a no-pressure conversation to understand your situation and see whether we’re a good fit. There’s no commitment required. You can also take our free LGBTQI+ Anxiety Self-Assessment to better understand your own patterns before reaching out.
How do I book?
Use the Book a Free Consultation button on this page to schedule your 15-minute call. You can also reach us directly by WhatsApp on +447793519705.
Let’s Talk — Book a Free Consultation
Client Experiences
Explore Support at Your Own Pace
You do not have to be ready for therapy to begin understanding what you are experiencing. These resources offer different ways to explore your next step.
Free LGBTQI+ Anxiety Self-Assessment
Use the interactive self-assessment to reflect on your experiences and consider possible next steps. It is an educational tool, not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional support.
How We Help
Learn more about therapy for anxiety and panic, chronic stress and burnout, and confidence and self-worth.
What Is HypnoCBT?
Explore how CBT and clinical hypnotherapy can be combined, what sessions involve and what to expect from the approach.
From the Blog
When Self-Help Isn’t Enough for LGBTQI+ Anxiety: 7 Signs You May Benefit From Therapy
Explore signs that additional support may be useful and how to approach the decision to seek therapy.
Somatic Tools for LGBTQI+ Anxiety: Working With Your Body When Talking Isn’t Enough
Learn about body-based approaches that can complement reflection and talking therapies.
Understand why a technique that helps in one nervous-system state may not feel helpful in another.
Let’s Talk.
A free 15-minute consultation is an opportunity to discuss what is happening, what you would like to change and whether therapy at The Holistic Clinic feels right for you.
There is no pressure to commit and no expectation that you share everything at once.
Book Your Free Consultation Call
- The initial 15 minutes phone or video consultation helps us to agree on the most helpful personalised approach.
- Most therapy sessions are delivered online via Zoom/Teams (GMT), some in person in London.
- We implement the sliding scale pricing (£70-90 per therapeutic hour).
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