Bisexual Therapy and Counseling in Washington DC
Affirming care from therapists who actually get it. No explaining required.
You shouldn't have to educate your therapist about bisexuality. You shouldn't have to justify your identity, defend against subtle skepticism, or wonder if your therapist secretly thinks you're confused. You came to therapy to work on your life—not to serve as a teaching moment.
At District Counseling, our therapists have specialized training and lived experience in LGBTQ+ communities. We understand that bisexuality is a complete, valid identity—not a stepping stone, not a phase, not evidence of indecision. We know the research. We know the community. We know that you've probably had enough of being questioned.
When your therapist truly understands your experience, you can stop managing their perceptions and start doing the actual work. That's what we offer.
What Many Bisexual People Experience
Bisexual individuals face a distinct set of challenges that differ from both heterosexual and gay/lesbian experiences. These aren't just inconveniences—research consistently shows they contribute to significant mental health disparities.
The Exhaustion of Invisibility
Your identity gets read through whoever you're currently with. Date a woman, and you're assumed straight. Date a man, and you must be gay now. The bisexual in the middle—the person you actually are—seems to disappear. This constant erasure is exhausting in ways that are hard to articulate but accumulate over time.
Belonging Nowhere
You might feel too queer for straight spaces and too straight for queer spaces. The gay community that should feel like home sometimes treats bisexuality with suspicion. Straight friends might see you as exotic or threatening. Finding your people can feel impossible when you don't fit neatly into anyone's boxes.
The Legitimacy Tax
You've probably been asked to prove your bisexuality—your "body count" by gender, whether you've actually been with certain people, whether you'd "really" date the same sex or if it's just theoretical. No one asks straight people to justify their orientation with evidence. The constant demand for proof takes a toll.
Biphobia From All Directions
"You're just greedy." "Pick a side." "You'll end up with a man anyway." "Bisexuals can't be monogamous." These stereotypes come from both straight and gay communities. Being attacked by people who should be allies is particularly painful.
The Mental Health Burden
Research consistently shows bisexual individuals have higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality than both heterosexual and gay/lesbian populations. This isn't because something is wrong with bisexuality—it's the result of unique stressors, lack of community support, and the cumulative weight of invalidation.
Relationship Complexity
Coming out to partners, navigating their insecurities about your orientation, deciding how out to be in different contexts, managing assumptions about monogamy and fidelity—bisexual relationships come with layers that others don't have to think about.
What Bi-Affirming Therapy Actually Looks Like
Claiming to be "LGBTQ+ friendly" has become standard—it's on nearly every therapist's profile. But there's a vast difference between a therapist who won't be actively hostile and one who truly understands your experience.
Your Identity Is Not the Question
We won't ask if you're "sure" you're bisexual. We won't suggest you might be gay but scared to admit it, or straight but experimenting. We won't interpret your relationships as evidence for or against your orientation. Your identity is the starting point, not the thing to be figured out.
We Understand the Nuances
Bisexuality isn't one thing. Some people experience attraction equally across genders; others have patterns or preferences. Some use bi, some use pan, some use queer, some use fluid—or different terms in different contexts. We don't need you to fit a particular definition. We meet you where you are.
We Know the Research
We're familiar with the data on bisexual mental health disparities, the effects of minority stress, and evidence-based approaches for working with LGBTQ+ clients. This isn't a special interest—it's a core competency.
We Address What Matters to You
Maybe your bisexuality is central to what you're working on. Maybe it's background context while you deal with depression, anxiety, relationships, or life transitions. We take our cues from you. Affirming therapy doesn't mean making everything about your orientation—it means your orientation is never a problem.
What Brings Bisexual Clients to Therapy
Identity and Self-Acceptance
- Working through internalized biphobia—the negative messages about bisexuality you absorbed from culture
- Integrating your bisexual identity with other aspects of who you are—cultural background, religious upbringing, professional identity
- Moving from intellectual acceptance to genuine self-acceptance
- Navigating identity development at any age—coming to terms with bisexuality in your 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond
Coming Out and Living Out
- Deciding whether, when, and how to come out in different contexts
- Handling family reactions—rejection, conditional acceptance, or the awkward silence that avoids the topic
- Coming out at work and navigating professional implications
- Coming out to a partner—current or potential
- The unique challenges of coming out as bisexual while in a relationship that reads as straight or gay
Relationships and Dating
- Navigating partner insecurities about your orientation
- Communication about bisexuality in new relationships
- Working through jealousy or trust issues—yours or your partner's
- Exploring what monogamy, non-monogamy, or other relationship structures mean for you
- Dating across genders and the different dynamics involved
Mental Health
- Anxiety—including anxiety specifically linked to identity and minority stress
- Depression—including the exhaustion that comes from constant invalidation
- Processing past experiences of biphobia, discrimination, or trauma
- Building resilience and coping strategies for ongoing minority stress
- Substance use and harm reduction
Finding Community and Belonging
- Building connections with bi/pan/queer community
- Working through feelings of isolation or not fitting in
- Navigating queer spaces when you don't feel "queer enough"
- Creating your own sense of belonging when communities disappoint
What the Research Shows
Bisexual individuals consistently show higher rates of mental health challenges than both heterosexual and gay/lesbian populations. This includes:
- Higher rates of anxiety and depression
- Elevated risk of suicidal ideation
- Higher rates of substance use
- Less likelihood of being out and accessing support
These disparities aren't because bisexuality is inherently harder—they result from unique stressors including erasure, dual discrimination, lack of bi-specific community, and difficulty finding affirming care. With appropriate support, these disparities can be addressed.
Practical Information
Location
Our office is at 2001 L Street NW, Suite 500, in Washington DC's Dupont Circle neighborhood—a historically LGBTQ+ area. Metro accessible via Dupont Circle or Farragut North stations.
Telehealth
Secure video therapy available throughout DC, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. Particularly valuable if you're not near affirming providers in your area.
Confidentiality
Your therapy is completely confidential. We understand the complexities of being out in different contexts and will never disclose your orientation or therapy participation without your explicit consent.
Getting Started
We begin with a consultation call to discuss what brings you to therapy and ensure we're a good fit. You deserve a therapist who genuinely understands—not one who's just "tolerant."
You Deserve Affirming Care
You shouldn't have to settle for a therapist who doesn't get it. Bi-affirming therapy isn't a niche luxury—it's the standard of care you deserve.
Stop managing your therapist's learning curve. Work with someone who already understands.
District Counseling and Psychotherapy
2001 L Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036