Gay Men and Coping with the Forms of Betrayal

Gay Men and Coping with the Forms of Betrayal By Ken Howard, LCSW, CST GayTherapyLA.com | GayCoachingLA.com Call/Text: 310-339-5778 | Email: Ken@GayTherapyLA.com Introduction: What Is Betrayal? Betrayal is the violation of a person’s trust, often involving the breaking of implicit or explicit expectations in a close relationship. Psychologist Janis Abrahms Spring, Ph.D., defines betrayal as … Read more

COVID’s End as Trauma Recovery in Gay Men

triumphant man on mountain top silhouette deposit photo May 31 2021

COVID-19 As a Traumatic Experience At the time of this writing in early June, 2021, my local community of Los Angeles/West Hollywood (California) is gearing up for the broader grand re-opening of California by order of Governor Gavin Newsom on June 15th (according to a Los Angeles Times article of May 21, 2021, here). The new guidelines basically … Read more

Gay Men Coping with Stress:  Start at the Source

stressed black man at computer deposit photo June 2020

Gay Men Coping with Stress:  Start at the Source At the time of this writing (June, 2020), we, as a country, in the United States, and all of us in the world are experiencing unprecedented times, and not in a good way.  Since into the first quarter of 2020 (some would say even before), our … Read more

Gay Men’s Sexuality: Three Types of Erectile Dysfunction and Their Interventions

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Gay Men’s Sexuality: Three Types of Erectile Dysfunction and Their Interventions [Warning:  This is an adult clinical discussion of sex therapy topics provided by a licensed clinical social worker and trained sex therapist.  It is not restricted adult content, nor is it literary erotica or “pornography,” but reader discretion is advised if you are sensitive … Read more

The New COVID-19 Coping: Balancing “Toxic Positivity” with “Adaptive Coping”

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The New COVID-19 Coping: Balancing “Toxic Positivity” with “Adaptive Coping” This week (April 13, 2020), as we enter further into global “stay at home orders”, I’m noticing several mental health providers do some push-back to the more positive messages about coping with the current COVID-19 crisis and working from home.  My last three blog articles … Read more

Gay Men’s Mental Health During COVID-19:  Next to Normal

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Mental Health During COVID-19: Next to Normal Those who know me well know that I have a life-long obsession with Broadway musicals, recently having completed writing the book, music, and lyrics for a musical of my own, “On the Boulevard,” which takes place in my own very home of West Hollywood, California, a modern re-telling … Read more

Gay Therapist Reviews “Florence Foster Jenkins” (2016): Shrink at the Movies

[SPOILER ALERT: SOME PLOT POINTS REVEALED] For readers who are unfamiliar with this series, “Shrink at the Movies” is a not-very-consistent string of essays (ponderings, I like to call them) from my point of view as both a licensed psychotherapist in California (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, or LCSW) and as a life-long movie fan.  Being … Read more

Gay Men and Sleep: Coping with Nightmares

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Have you been bothered by having nightmares or bad dreams?  Today I wanted to write about gay men and sleep, and coping with nightmares.  This comes up frequently either with clients in my office, or when I do online counseling or coaching for gay men all over the country, or the world.  Yesterday in my … Read more

Self-Empowerment Through Music: The ‘Power Playlist’

If you’re like me, you can’t go to the gym without your music.  I derive inspiration, energy, and stamina from my personal selections of playlists to energize my entire fitness routine.  At home, I will put on music when I have to do some mindless but nevertheless necessary chore.  And when I’m feeling not-so-great, physically … Read more

Gay Therapists Gives Tips on How Gay Men Build Confidence

One of the most common themes I see in my office doing counseling, psychotherapy, and coaching with gay male individuals and gay couples is that of low self-esteem and low self-confidence.  It’s not surprising; as little gay boys, we get exposed to anti-gay messages outright, or at least to the “invisibility” that comes with the … Read more