A Brighton academic – University of Brighton lecturer and researcher Charlotte Wilcox – has launched the city’s first dedicated queer therapy hub to help bridge the gap between traditional psychotherapy and queer-specific support
The Queer Therapy Hub, a safe and inclusive space where clients can work with therapists who truly understand their lived experiences, recognises the barriers queer people often face in accessing affirming mental health support. It assembles qualified LGBTQ+ counsellors and psychotherapists in Brighton, including recent University of Brighton graduates, to offer therapy that is rooted in LGBTQ+ identities and challenges, tackling issues such as minority stress, gender dysphoria, and discrimination-related trauma in an empathetic and informed way.
As well as offering one-to-one therapy, the hub fosters a community-driven approach to mental wellbeing, working with local LGBTQ+ organisations and advocacy groups to improve access to mental health resources. Through peer support, training, and social events, the hub is designed to create a strong professional community while tackling the isolation often faced by professional therapists working outside the NHS.
Charlotte Wilcox said: “When I first trained as a psychotherapist, people would come up to me looking for a queer therapist. Starting as simply matching people with therapists that I know, I quickly realised there was something bigger at play. Tailoring therapeutic relationships to the specific needs of queer individuals is important. This initiative ensures that LGBTQ+ people have access to therapists who understand their lived experiences, fostering a sense of safety, support, and belonging.
“And while connecting people who needed the service, I figured there was a lot more fantastic queer-identified therapists in our city and beyond who aren’t engaged. So, I wanted to get them together.
“These things have been happening informally for many years. But as a community psychologist, I’m keen to support people who support queer people. The therapists are all qualified and would otherwise be renting rooms by the hour and working in what could be quite an isolated way. And so, another rationale was to create a space for queer therapists to come together in community.”
The Queer Therapy Hub can be accessed in-person at their multi-room clinic facility at the Brighthelm Centre, North Laine, or online via their website.
