Being queer during the holidays season can be difficult and bring additional stress.
A lot of queer people have had to choose between living as themselves, or being abandoned (or worse) by their family and friends. This can cause experiences of grief and loss during the holiday season.
Queer people are also at greater risk of abuse and other trauma. That means that queer people are also more likely to have negative triggers wrapped up in their experiences of holidays.
There are many ways that mental health and other helping professionals can be adaptive to these realities for our queer clients during the holiday seasons. Sometimes that just means checking in with our queer clients about what experiences the holidays bring for them and adjusting our sessions to be mindful of the extra stress, triggers, and potential for flooding.
Something I do as a facilitator of a queer support group, is that I make sure I do offer support groups during the week of the holidays. So, if the normal day for the support group were to land directly on the holiday, I will move the day for that week. This is a priority for me, because I feel it is important the support group is available during the times when queer people are most likely to need support.
However we do it, helping professionals need to be aware that their queer clients may be struggling at this time of the year.