Groups - Los Angeles LGBT Center

A smoking cessation group based on the stages of change model, the Freedom from Smoking Program offers individuals who are in the ready-to-quit stage a step-by-step plan for quitting smoking. The program encourages participants to work on the process to stop smoking, as individuals and as part of a group, while learning positive coping skills.

Support, Validation, Empowerment, Connection

Are you seeking more intimate, authentic relationships with others and even yourself?

Our weekly therapy group helps men develop genuine and rewarding relationships with:

• Family
• Friends
• Co-Workers
• Intimate Partners

How is your sexuality and/or gender identity impacting your relationships? We’ll discuss:

• Coming out challenges
• Shame
• Self-compassion
• Intersectional identities (cultural, ethnic, etc.)
• Oppression

To schedule a pre-screening assessment or for more information, call 323-993-2910

Sliding scale fee, based on your ability to pay. We accept many insurance plans.

If you’d like to manage your anger in a healthier manner, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s anger-management counseling program can help.

Though anger is a natural emotion, it can cause problems if it isn’t managed well. Mismanaged anger can cause conflicts with family members, partners and friends; road rage; workplace and employment difficulties; divorce and separation; low self-esteem; and substance abuse.

Do you need anger-management counseling? If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to learn healthier skills for managing your anger:

• Do you generally tend to escalate conflict?
• Do you frequently raise your voice at others?
• Do you have numerous conflicts with friends, family, co-workers or significant others?
• Are others frightened of you or your anger?
• Do you make threats or act aggressively?
• Do you make impulsive decisions to retaliate or hurt others?
• Do you often feel overwhelmed or stressed?

Counseling can help you interrupt the unhealthy escalation of anger, prevent violence, and allow you to express your emotions safely and appropriately.

This group is also open to those who have been required by the court to attend anger-management counseling.

As an HIV-positive senior, do you sometimes feel isolated and invisible… or stigmatized because of your status? If so, you’re not alone.

Join this free drop-in support group facilitated by mental health professionals from the Los Angeles LBGT Center and AIDS Project Los Angeles. We focus on issues ranging from the physical side effects of medication to the psychological impact of coping with HIV/AIDS over an extended period of time.

This group will provide you with the skills, concepts and self-awareness necessary to establish healthy relationships with others. It’s open to all ages, genders, and relationship skill levels, but it’s not for couples.

Developing healthy relationships can be challenging for everyone, especially for those who didn’t grow up with affirmative role models. So you’re certainly not alone if you’re struggling to maintain a mutually rewarding relationship.

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may benefit from this group.

• Are you dissatisfied with serial dating or have you been single for a long time and don’t know why?
• Are you in a relationship, but struggle to effectively communicate, set boundaries, or feel connected to your partner?
• Do you have difficulty resolving conflict with others in a healthy manner?
• Do you put your partner’s needs before your own, and then become resentful about it?

To schedule an intake meeting, where a counselor will help you determine if the group is right for you, call 323-860-5806.

For some people, it’s difficult to admit they’ve been abusive to the person they say they love. You may fear their partner will abandon you, resulting in anger or controlling behaviors.

Do you and your partner sometimes get in tense situations that eventually escalate to verbal or physical abuse, followed by a "honeymoon" phase in which one or both of you say, "I'm sorry, I'll never do that again." If this is a recurring pattern for the two of you, this group may be beneficial to you.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you struggle with fear or jealousy when your partner doesn’t pay enough attention to you?
• Are you afraid that your partner will leave you or do you feel inadequate in your relationship?
• Are you frustrated because your partner doesn’t meet your needs or adhere to your rules?
• Do you find yourself checking your partner’s computer, email or phone for evidence that s/he is lying or cheating?
• Have you initiated a breakup after a fight, but re-engaged in the relationship during the “honeymoon?”
• Are you anxious or angry when things don’t go your way in your intimate relationships?
• After verbal or physical fights, do you blame and feel victimized by your partner?

If you have experienced these fears or situations in either your current or past relationship, you could benefit from the concepts, tools and support of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Primary Aggressors’ Group. It offers a unique opportunity to gain insight and awareness regarding aggressive behaviors and the tools to break the recurring pattern of Tension – Explosion – Honeymoon.

We offer separate groups for male-identified and female-identified clients, and also provide services for court-mandated clients. This group is not for couples.

To schedule an intake meeting, where a counselor will help you determine if the group is right for you, call 323-860-5806.

Please note, we cannot schedule an intake meeting via email.

Struggling with your gender identity/expression? Struggling with how others respond to you? No matter where you fall on the gender continuum, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s transgender therapy groups can help.

These two groups (transgender male to female and transgender female to male) are for individuals who identify at various points along the gender spectrum (e.g. transgender, gender-queer, gender nonconforming). We offer a safe and therapeutic space where members can process their thoughts and feelings about relevant issues associated with gender.

Some examples of discussion topics can include exploration of “coming out” challenges, exploring inquiries related to the process of transitioning, examining experiences of transphobia, identifying strategies for maintaining safety, and developing an identity-affirming support system.

To schedule an intake meeting, where a counselor will help you determine if the group is right for you, call 323-993-7500.

Please note, we cannot schedule an intake meeting via email.

This group is for individuals who have been impacted by traumatic or difficult life experiences. Participants will learn more about the impact trauma and difficult experiences have on their lives now, meaning they are not required to provide, nor will the focus be on, providing a detailed account of the disturbing memories.

Traumatic or difficult experiences often leave us feeling sad, angry, confused, anxious, overwhelmed, and stuck. To experience relief, we sometimes turn to unsafe coping strategies, including substance use, isolation, harming our bodies, picking fights in our relationships, under/over sleeping, under/over eating, and many others.

Through this group, participants will become more aware of how they are currently coping and will learn helpful tools and practices to get unstuck and to cope in ways that are safe: that do not harm your—or other’s—mind, body, spirit. The group will also support the development of concrete skills—through exercises, hand-outs, and discussion--that will help participants reclaim, rebuild and renew their lives.

Is this group for me?
Difficult experiences can include:

• Childhood physical or sexual abuse
• Witnessing violence as a child
• Not feeling paid attention to or loved as a child
• Not being able to express your true feelings as a child
• Having parents whose ability to parent you was impacted by their substance abuse or their own trauma
• Loss of a loved one
• Experiencing violence in intimate partner relationships
• Sexual assault
• Addiction
• Experiencing discrimination based on your race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or other identity.

These are just some of the examples of experiences that can be traumatic.

To schedule an intake meeting, where a counselor will help you determine if the group is right for you, call 323-993-7669.

Please note, we cannot schedule an intake meeting via email.