Reflections on LGBTQIA+ Pride in 2026
Proud Sponsors of Snohomish and Lynnwood Pride 2026
Kirkland EMDR Counseling is proud to sponsor Snohomish Pride 2026 (hosted by Out in Snohomish throughout June) as well as the City of Lynnwood’s first-ever City Pride on June 6th!
Supporting Pride initiatives makes our communities safer and provides visibility for LGBTQIA+ folks in the metropolitan area surrounding Seattle. Our telehealth practice provides inclusive EMDR therapy to Snohomish County as well as the entire state of Washington. You may read more about Kirkland EMDR’s anti-discrimination values here and request an appointment with one of our LGBTQIA-affirming therapists using this form.
Reckoning With Our Present Realities
Another Pride Month is with us, and as we fight for a world that is safe for our queer and transgender siblings to experience joy in, we must reckon with some of our present realities: higher suicide rates among LGBTQIA+ youth, lower life expectancies among transgender women of color, and hostile legislation that aims to keep queer culture out of the public eye.
It is impossible for any one blog post to capture all that we are up against collectively, nor the nuances of our individual traumas, yet we go on to tell our stories anyway.
The Unique Journey of LGBTQIA+ Adulthood
Imagine living to be a queer adult, and the course of your life’s development is fundamentally different than that of your non-LGBTQIA+ peers:
Maybe you’re crafting a chosen family to experience the kind of unconditional love you did not experience as a queer child.
Maybe every time you step outside in clothing of your preferred gender expression, it feels like exposure therapy.
Maybe you’re exploring queer dating for the first time, but you cannot process your internalized homophobia enough to enjoy yourself.
What do you do when there is loss to mourn for every instance of your queerness that you wish to celebrate?
Healing Through Inclusive Trauma-Informed Therapy
For us at Kirkland EMDR Counseling, recognizing that folks in the LGBTQIA+ community often have painful, complex experiences means being ready to serve them with inclusive practices and trauma-informed therapy.
In addition to talking about the meaning of your life’s narrative, alternative therapies such as EMDR come in when there is a need to process stubborn memories that still bother you, or foster a deeper connection between body and mind.
Whatever your story is, healing for the sake of a better life is possible.
