Liz Rhea, MSW, LMSW
I’m Liz (she/her), a queer-identified therapist who specializes in working with queer and trans folks, as well as folks navigating religious trauma, complex trauma, identity work, people-pleasing, & more!
Georgia License: MSW010889; Florida Telehealth Registrant: TPIC137
How I work
I operate from a core belief: you are the expert of your own experience. I deeply value and appreciate your innate wisdom and enjoy utilizing a collaborative approach to therapy. I pull from holistic approaches to therapy, including attachment-based, emotion-focused, strengths-based, and trauma-focused, while employing a social justice, feminist, intersectional, and systemic framework.
TL;DR: I see you as a whole person with lived experience that informs who you are and how you operate through the world, including the systems (political, geographic, etc.) that you live within.
Who I see
For individual therapy, I work with folks who are exploring their identity (maybe for the first time ever!), navigating complex trauma, experiencing life transitions (that maybe feel all-consuming), exploring harmful religious experiences, and folks curious about the way their lived experiences impact who they are and how they engage with the world.
I specialize in providing supportive and affirming care to queer, trans, and gender-expansive clients, as well as working with clients navigating religious trauma or spiritual abuse.
For partner work, I work with folks who are looking to improve communication, deepen and expand their intimacy, process and navigate life transitions, and more. Many folks I’m working with are exploring or navigating polyamory and/or ethical monogamy, and my space is welcoming multiple partners (up to 3 people in the space).
We might work well together if…
You’re looking for someone direct, laidback, and who uses the occasional (or maybe frequent!) swear word; you want a genuine relationship with your therapist (i.e., I promise to be a human being!), and you don’t mind being challenged and want a therapist who values your innate wisdom. My space is chill, and you’ll often see me in jeans & a t-shirt (proudly showing my tattoos!); often, my clients (& me as well!) are coloring, fidgeting, or hanging out with my weighted anxiety dino, Reginald.
A bit about me personally
When I’m not in sessions, you’ll likely find me spending time with my partner, best friends, and my rescued pitbull, exploring a new coffee shop, or listening to a new audiobook (big Emily Henry, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Casey McQuiston fan). I drink iced coffee no matter the temperature, and I am always on the search for the coziest sweatshirt.
I believe therapists should go to therapy (I love my therapist!) and that the power of community can lead to radical healing. My own experiences of navigating queerness and religious trauma often allow me to create a braver space for folks, and I believe the opportunity to be a therapist is a deep honor and privilege.
“Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.”
— Lisa Olivera
I operate from the belief that clients can feel safer and braver when they have clarity around their therapist’s identities and values, so let’s talk about mine!
Starting with (some) my identities: white, queer, cis-woman. While acknowledging that spaces can rarely be completely safe, I believe deeply that the therapy space should allow clients to feel brave, which requires me to be thoughtful about navigating the power dynamic that exists between client and therapist. I do everything I can to lower that power dynamic — creating a space where your innate wisdom is central.
I believe that working towards anti-racism requires both learning and unlearning, that community is central to healing, and that feedback is one of the biggest gifts we can give to each other. I obtain supervision and/or consultation each week focused on working with queer, trans, and gender-expansive clients, navigating privilege, ensuring competence, and more.
values & Identity
If you have additional questions regarding my values, please reach out!