Gay and Lesbian Issues Gay and lesbian people often have special issues and may fear going to a therapist who is not sensitized to these issues. For some, these issues may center around the challenge of establishing a secure identity in a world in which the dominant gender norms and expectations may not feel comfortable or natural. For others, issues may grow from the residual pain of growing up feeling “different.” For still others, issues may focus on the challenge of structuring a committed, same-sex relationship or building a family headed by a same-sex couple. Martha Bramhall, who has been counseling gay and lesbian people for over 15 years, is sensitive to these types of issues. For many years she served at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington D.C. (a gay and lesbian health clinic) as an individual therapist, a support group leader, and a trainer for support group leaders, giving her time to the community on a voluntary basis. Co-director Martha Bramhall, head of the Asclepeion Center’s counseling services, is a highly experienced couples and family counselor. She holds a degree in Social Work from the Catholic University of America and has had extensive post-graduate training in couples counseling, family therapy, Gestalt, Imago, and mind/body therapies. Martha’s specialty lies in combining Body Mind Healing techniques with the theory base and skills of traditional “talk” psychotherapy, while also bringing to the work an understanding of the spiritual growth dimensions of healing. BACK TO TOP