LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy in Phoenix
A space where you don't have to explain yourself.
Whether you're lesbian, gay, bi, pan, queer, trans, non-binary, gender-diverse, or still exploring, you deserve a therapist who meets you with respect from the first moment. You don't have to educate, defend, or minimize who you are here.
This might be for you if…
Maybe you searched for an LGBTQ therapist in Phoenix, a queer affirming therapist, or trans affirming therapy — and found yourself wading through profiles that didn't quite feel like you. What you're often looking for is the same thing: a space where who you are is assumed, not interrogated.
Religious trauma has a particular place in my work as an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist in Phoenix. My graduate research focused on the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and religious trauma — including the complicated ways faith, family, shame, belonging, and identity can become tangled together. If you've been hurt by a religious community, are struggling to reconcile faith and LGBTQ+ identity, or are healing from religious trauma while figuring out what spirituality means to you now, you don't have to untangle all of that alone. You can read more about my religious trauma therapy work in Phoenix.
You don't have to be in crisis, either. You might come in because of anxiety, relationships, family, grief, trauma, burnout, work stress, life transitions, or simply because life is hard. Being LGBTQ+ is not the reason you need therapy, and it won't be treated like one.
Whatever you're carrying, you don't have to carry it alone.
Not the kind of therapy where you have to perform.
Therapy doesn't have to feel like sitting across from someone who silently analyzes you while you wonder what they're thinking. It can be warm, conversational, honest, and real.
I bring clinical training and 15+ years of social work experience into the room, but I’m also a person. I’ll ask questions, reflect back what I notice, challenge you when it’s helpful, and laugh with you when the moment calls for it.
You can cry, swear, change your mind, not know what to say, or admit something you're afraid sounds ridiculous. You don't have to be polished or put together here. In fact, you don't have to be anything other than exactly who you are in this moment.
No therapy performance required. Just you, me, and whatever's actually going on.
All LGBTQ+ people belong here.
This is a space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse clients across every stage of life. You don't have to explain or defend who you are, who you love, or how your family is structured.
I’m deeply committed to providing affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse people. Your identity is respected as part of the whole picture — not reduced to a problem to fix, a phase to outgrow, or a topic you need to handhold your therapist through.
Clients come here for all kinds of reasons: anxiety, relationships, family issues, grief, trauma, burnout, identity, life transitions, work stress, or simply because life is hard. You don't have to come to therapy because you're LGBTQ+. Sometimes you just want a therapist who already gets that part of you so you can talk about everything else. Your identity might be part of the conversation, or it might not be. Either way, you get to show up as your whole self.
I also honor the relationships and communities that matter to you. Oak & Wave is affirming of different relationship structures, including polyamory and ethical non-monogamy — because your relationship structure isn't automatically the problem.
15+ years of social work experience. Real-world perspective. Zero judgment.
Heather Wheeler, LCSW has been working in the field of social work since 2010. That experience matters — but not because it means sitting across from you with a clipboard and a clinical stare. It means she's had the time, training, and real-world exposure to walk with people through hard things without losing the human connection at the center of it all.
More About HeatherIn-person therapy in Phoenix, Arizona.
Oak & Wave Counseling is located in central Phoenix, offering in-person LGBTQ+ affirming therapy in the Phoenix area and secure telehealth for clients across Arizona.
Address:
3101 N. Central Ave, Suite 0174
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Sessions are built around your needs — whether that means weekly in-person appointments, telehealth from the comfort of your home, or a mix that fits your life.
3101 N. Central Ave, Suite 0174
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Secure video sessions available throughout Arizona.
Available by appointment when video isn't the right fit.
Common Questions About LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy
What makes therapy LGBTQ+ affirming?
It means your identity is never treated as a problem to be solved. I don't ask you to educate me, justify who you are, or explain your relationships before we can get to the work you actually came in for.
Do you work with trans and non-binary clients?
Yes. I work with trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse clients on whatever they bring in — anxiety, depression, family relationships, identity, grief, or simply having a space where they don't have to explain themselves.
Can we focus on something other than my identity?
Absolutely. For some clients identity is central to why they come in; for others it's simply part of the background of their life. You decide what we spend our time on.
Do you work with religious trauma in the LGBTQ+ community?
Yes. Religious trauma is an area that's especially meaningful to me. My graduate thesis focused on LGBTQ+ identity and religious trauma, and I understand how complicated it can be when faith, family, community, identity, and belonging collide. Therapy isn't about telling you what to believe — or not believe. It's about giving you room to explore what happened, what you believe now, and what healing looks like for you. You can read more on my religious trauma therapy page.
Do you offer LGBTQ+ affirming telehealth in Arizona?
Yes. Secure video sessions are available anywhere in Arizona, and in-person sessions are available at my central Phoenix office at 3101 N. Central Ave, Suite 0174.
Do you see couples and partners?
Yes. I work with couples and partners on communication, boundaries, repair, and navigating family or community dynamics together.
Come as you are.
You don't need to have the right words or a neat story. You just need to be curious enough to start. I'll meet you there.