Gender Identity Counselling NZ
Support for transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and questioning people
Exploring your gender identity can bring many different thoughts, feelings and questions.
You may have understood your gender for a long time, be beginning to question it, or simply want somewhere private to talk about what you are experiencing.
At Intimacy Counselling, we provide confidential, respectful and non-judgemental gender identity counselling in Auckland and online throughout New Zealand.
Our counsellors can support transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse and questioning people, as well as partners and people navigating changes within their relationships.
You don't need to have found the right label or know exactly what you want before coming to counselling.
What Is Gender Identity Counselling?
Gender identity is about your internal sense of your gender. It is different from sexual orientation, which relates to attraction and sexuality.
Gender identity counselling gives you a confidential space to explore your experiences without pressure to reach a particular conclusion.
Counselling may be helpful if you are:
Questioning your gender
Exploring your gender identity
Transgender or trans
Non-binary
Gender diverse
Genderfluid
Exploring gender expression
Thinking about coming out
Navigating relationships while exploring your gender
Experiencing difficulties with family or whānau
Dealing with rejection or discrimination
Exploring how gender relates to intimacy or sexuality
Supporting a partner whose gender identity is changing or being explored
Our role is not to tell you who you are.
Counselling provides a supportive space for you to explore your own experiences, identity, relationships and decisions at your own pace.
Questioning Your Gender Identity
You don't have to know whether you are transgender, non-binary, gender diverse or anything else before speaking with a counsellor.
For some people, questions about gender have been present since childhood. For others, they emerge later.
You may be asking yourself:
Am I transgender?
Could I be non-binary?
Why am I questioning my gender?
What does my gender mean to me?
Do I want to tell other people?
How could this affect my relationship?
How do I talk to my partner or family?
What if I'm still unsure?
Counselling gives you somewhere private to explore those questions.
Transgender Counselling
Trans people may seek counselling for many different reasons.
Sometimes counselling relates specifically to gender. At other times, you may simply want to talk about relationships, intimacy, anxiety, family, work or life with a counsellor who is comfortable discussing gender diversity.
We can provide counselling around:
Gender identity
Coming out
Relationships
Intimacy and sexuality
Dating
Confidence
Family and whānau relationships
Relationship changes
Communication
Stress and anxiety
Experiences of rejection or discrimination
Life changes
You are welcome to use the language and terminology that feels right for you.
Non-Binary & Gender-Diverse Counselling
Not everyone experiences gender within a simple male/female binary.
We welcome people who identify as non-binary, gender diverse, genderfluid, agender, or use another term—or no particular label at all.
Counselling can provide somewhere to explore what gender means to you without assumptions about how you should identify, dress, behave or structure your relationships.
Gender Identity & Relationships
Exploring or expressing your gender can sometimes create changes within an existing relationship.
A partner may have questions of their own. You may both be trying to understand what changes—and what doesn't.
Relationship counselling can help couples talk about:
Gender identity
Attraction
Sexuality
Intimacy
Communication
Coming out
Changing relationship dynamics
Sexual connection
Fears about the future
Supporting one another
Decisions about the relationship
Our counsellors work with individuals and couples.
Gender, Sexuality & Intimacy
Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same thing.
You can be transgender, cisgender, non-binary or gender diverse and have any sexual orientation.
However, gender, sexuality, relationships and intimacy can intersect.
If questions about attraction or sexual orientation are particularly important for you, visit our:
[SEXUALITY COUNSELLING NZ]
For broader Rainbow and LGBTQIA+ support:
For sexual and intimacy concerns:
Online Gender Identity Counselling NZ
Our online service means you can access gender identity counselling from throughout New Zealand.
Online counselling can be particularly helpful if you:
Live outside Auckland
Don't have suitable counselling available locally
Prefer greater privacy
Feel more comfortable talking from home
Want to work with a particular counsellor
Have work, family or travel commitments that make attending in person difficult
Book Gender Identity Counselling
You don't have to have everything figured out before coming to counselling.
You can start with a question, a feeling or simply:
“I'm not sure.”
We can start there.
Cat Valentine
Auckland & Online NZ
Angela Rennie
Auckland & Online NZ
Or explore our [LGBTQ+ COUNSELLING NZ] services.