Gay Men’s Relationships: How Your Therapy Affects Your Partner

man on therapy couch talking to female

There are times in my psychotherapy practice with gay men (individuals and couples) when I’m working with an individual, and the subject of the client’s partner comes up, and how the partner feels about his partner (my client) being in therapy.  The apparent reactions (well, at least according to my client’s reports of them) are … Read more

Gay Men and Sleep: Coping with Nightmares

kh pp man nightmare dollar photo

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

On 25 Years of Living with HIV Today: Here’s How I Feel

I was diagnosed with HIV on Saturday, November 3, 1990. That was 25 years ago today. This was at the old site of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, when it was on Highland Avenue. My “code name” that I gave one week before for the blood test was “KH90” (my initials and the year), … Read more

The Psychosocial Aspects of PrEP: Cause for Collaboration

As a psychotherapist who has worked as a specialist in gay men’s and HIV mental health for over 23 years, I have always maintained that HIV/AIDS is more than a medical issue; it’s a psychosocial one as well.  As Chair of the LA County HIV Mental Health Task Force for 9 years, we advocated for … Read more

Gay Men and Marijuana Over-Use: Getting Clean from Green

kh pp marijuana leaf dollar photo

When it’s good, it’s very, very good. You’re relaxed. Sounds and sights are more vivid. Everything is a bit funny. Time loses its tyranny. Man, this feeling is great! Well, okay, there’s the clumsiness, hunger and thirst, and distorted senses, but at first, and maybe (for some people) for a very long time, the pluses … Read more

Loving Someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

kh pp ocd pencil dollar photo

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and its less-severe related diagnosis, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) can be the topic of jokes and even comedy movies.  But living with the actual disorder is no joke.  OCD is quite burdensome to live with, and it can make the partners of people living with OCD stressed-out, too.  People living with OCD … Read more

Gay Men’s Depression Coping Guide

distressed man deposit photo

Depression is the number one mental health problem in the world and gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals are up to twice as likely to suffer from depression as heterosexuals – not because they inferior human beings (contrary to some religious teachings and other oppression), but because the cumulative stress of heterosexism and homophobia in society, … Read more

PrEP (Truvada): An HIV Mental Health Specialist Therapist Weighs In on One of the Hottest Topics for Gay Men Today

kh pp shirtless man with viagra pill adobe photo

At GayTherapyLA.com, (which can also be accessed via www.PozTherapist.com, to coincide with my identity as a psychotherapist with over 22 years experience providing gay-affirmative therapy to gay men and couples, as well as my 24 years being HIV-positive, and an HIV mental health expert and advocate in Los Angeles), my staff of clinical associates and … Read more

Gay Men and Alcohol: The Relationship with the Bottle

kh pp whiskey glass dollar photo 1

Today I wanted to write about gay men and alcohol, and what I call their “relationship” with the bottle.  Over my many years as a psychotherapist, one of the most frequent issues my clients bring to me is a concern about their drinking, or perhaps their drug use.  There is a wide range; some people … Read more

December 21, 2010: Hobbling Around and Taking a Closer Look

I’ve been less active, overall, since recovering from total hip replacement surgery on my right hip on December 6 (the left one was done in April, 2008, so I kind of know the drill). As I hobble around, walking with the aid of a cane for about the next two months while I undergo physical … Read more