How to Find a Poly/ENM-Affirming Therapist in Washington, DC
And Why It Matters to Be Seen Without Shame or Assumptions
Finding a therapist who truly affirms your polyamorous or ethically non-monogamous (ENM) relationships can feel like a breath of fresh air—especially when so many therapeutic spaces still center monogamy as the default. If you’re navigating open relationships, relationship anarchy, solo poly, or any form of consensual non-monogamy, you deserve a therapist who sees your choices as valid, meaningful, and worthy of care.
Therapy should be a place where you don’t have to educate your provider just to feel safe.
What Does “Poly/ENM-Affirming” Mean?
Being affirming means more than “tolerating” your relationship structure. It means understanding that love, connection, and commitment look different for different people—and that your needs and boundaries are not pathological, excessive, or confusing. It means respecting your autonomy, complexity, and the ways your relationships are shaped by culture, identity, neurodivergence, and community.
It also means not trying to fit your life into someone else’s box. You deserve support from someone who honors your relationship values without trying to push you toward a default.
Why Some Therapy Approaches Fall Short
Many therapy models are still built on assumptions rooted in traditional, individualistic, nuclear family systems. These approaches often prioritize control, regulation, and conformity over curiosity, embodiment, and relational awareness. When therapy focuses solely on changing your thoughts or fixing your “symptoms,” it may completely miss what’s happening in your body, in your community, and in your relationships.
If your therapist doesn’t understand attachment wounds, trauma, or how systemic forces shape your relational life, it can leave you feeling unseen. Polyamorous folks are often misdiagnosed, pathologized, or pressured to conform. That’s not healing—it’s harm disguised as help.
What I Offer as a Therapist
I’m queer, gay, neurodivergent, and poly-affirming—and I bring that lived experience into how I hold space. My work is grounded in Gestalt therapy, somatic awareness, trauma healing, and social justice. I support people who want to explore relationships beyond scripts—who are creating their own maps for love, connection, and safety.
Together, we work with the body, the nervous system, and your relationships. My approach helps you:
Understand how attachment, trauma, and family patterns show up in ENM
Deepen communication, boundaries & self-trust without shame
Reconnect with your body’s signals about desire, safety & joy
Untangle internalized shame about “taking up too much” or “loving wrong”
Feel grounded in your values, needs, and vision for relationships
I believe healing happens not by “fixing” who you are, but by returning to your wholeness—especially in a world that’s tried to split you apart.
How to Find a Poly/ENM-Affirming Therapist in DC
Look for explicit affirmation. The word “poly” or “ENM-affirming” should appear on their website, not just a vague line about being “open-minded.”
Ask how they work with relationship structure. Do they respect autonomy? Understand dynamics like compersion, jealousy, and attachment? Do they pathologize, or do they stay curious?
Check their lens on systemic oppression. Good poly therapy honors that relationship oppression is often layered with racism, ableism, heteronormativity, and classism.
See if they work with the body. Embodiment, not just thoughts, matters. Do they help you feel into your needs, desires, and boundaries—or do they only talk about “skills”?
Trust your felt sense. If the therapist tries to convince you your relationships are too much, too risky, or “the reason you’re anxious,” it’s probably not the right fit. You don’t need to shrink yourself to get support.
Let’s Connect
If you’re in DC and want a queer, neurodivergent, poly/ENM, kink, and BIPOC-affirming space where your relationships are not just allowed but celebrated, I’d be honored to support your journey. My approach is grounded in body-based awareness, relational depth, and the belief that healing happens when we’re met without shame.
Let’s talk. I offer a free 15-minute consultation so we can see if we’re a good fit. You don’t have to untangle it all alone.
Email me at Glen@GestaltGlen.com, call me at 202-922-5747, or visit GestaltGlen.com to schedule your call today.
Learn more about Poly/ENM-Affirming Therapy with Glen here.
