thejana/Elective_dataset huggingface dataset:
Topic: lgbtq

Question: How can I be interested in the same sex after nearly 40 years of being straight?
After 40 years of being straight, how could I now find myself interested in people of the same sex? I have had a few same sex encounters of my own doing.

Answer (from Ingrid d'AquinI am offering new possibilities in life. I help people find RELIEF and HOPE..):
What most people don't know is that sexual preferences can be fluid, meaning our sexual orientation is not as fixed as most people believe.  Women in particular tend to be more fluid in their desire to express and experience sex.  It is not uncommon for heterosexual women in their mid-life to explore new sexual appetites.  That said, men tend to be more rigid in their orientations particularly if they are hetero while gay men tend to be more fluid.  So if your distress is over your new interests I would tell you, you are not alone and not abnormal.  Since you have started exploring, enjoy and consider seeing a therapist to help you navigate your feelings around this new sexual life! Warm wishes.
Topic: grief-and-loss

Question: I just lost my grandpa
I just lost my grandpa and i'm having a rough time with it.    I need some help to deal with the loss, but I don’t think I can pay for counseling. Where Can I get help?

Answer (from Christina McGrath Fair"Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean." -Thich Nhat Hanh):
I am sorry for your loss. I understand the difficulty of needing help and not having financial resources. In some areas, you can dial 211 and find resources in the area that may be free of cost or low cost. In addition, often hospitals and community centers, churches, etc. have support groups. These are often free and many include grief and loss issues. Finally, there are some therapists who work on sliding scales and even sometimes offer pro bono sessions for clients. Hopefully some of these leads work out for you so that you can get the support that you need.
Topic: professional-ethics

Question: How does counseling end?
How does a counselor decide when to end counseling sessions or to terminate working with a client?

Answer (from Frank WalkerI help couples manage the bumpy road called marriage. Whether your marriage needs a tune up, a major overhaul or just a flat tire changed. I can help.):
From the very beginning of counseling sessions I emphasize that the work will and must end at some point.In counseling there is an arc to the process. A beginning, middle and end. I am always digging, searching and exploring. There comes a point where things come to there natural ending.I always leave an opening for continuing counseling in the future. At least as a check in.
Topic: lgbtq

Question: How do I go about asking my ex-girlfriend to expose me to her friends so I can come out finally?

Answer (from Lisa ShouldicePsychotherapist MA, RP, CCP):
I am a bit confused?  Are your ex-girlfriend's friends gay?  I feel the need for a bit more information.
Topic: relationship-dissolution

Question: My husband kept a huge secret from me
He had a sexual relationship with his sister and kept it from me for years, I confronted about it and he finally told me what happened. But I dont think he is telling me the whole story. He works with her and sees her every day.    I feel that I shouldn't stay with him , but he says he ended it long time ago. Should I trust my husband and stay with him?

Answer (from Audrey ONealBi-lingual Psychotherapist and HeartMath Certified Practitioner):
It is understandable that you are questioning whether to trust your husband as you learned that he was involved in an incestuous relationship with his sister ,and you believe he hid the information from you for years. I am sensing that you believe he may still be involved with her as they work together and see each other daily.In our society, incest is considered a taboo, and this might clearly have been the reason he could not share it with you. In addition, it is not clear whether the incest emerged as part of experimentation,or whether it was a traumatic experience for both siblings in which one of them played the role of the malevolent perpetrator and the other the victim. In any case, there is complexity around the dynamics  incest and it is often necessary for the individuals that participated in it to  undergo a healing process. In like manner, it must have been distressing for you to uncover this event in your husband's life. You may need to explore these issues in couples counseling with a professional who has training and experience in the family dynamics around incest that can shed further light for you. I hope that through that process, you may be able to figure out what direction to take, in terms of whether to preserve your marriage or not.
Topic: lgbtq

Question: What does it mean that I feel like different genders?
I was born a girl. I look like a boy. I sometimes feel like a different variation of gender. I don't know what to say if someone asks my gender. I just get really confused and usually say my birth gender.

Answer (from Katie LeikamLGBTQIA Affirming Gender, Anxiety and RelationshipTherapist):
Hi, as an affirming gender therapist I like to let people know that like sexuality, gender is a spectrum too.  It's possible to look like a girl and feel more like a boy, just as it's possible to feel halfway between a boy and a girl, or anywhere else on a horizontal line with two points between it.  Some people use different pronouns or words to express their gender and that's okay.  It's up to you to find out what is most comfortable.
Topic: parenting

Question: I think my daughter is stressing too much
When my daughter is stressed about a silly thing from school, she starts crying and freaking out. She is a bright student, always has a 4.0, but I am afraid she is stressing too much. I’m afraid it’s going to break her. I don't know if I should get her to a doctor or someone because this is not normal.

Answer (from Lucia SmithTherapy For People With Anxiety):
Sometimes it is hard to empathize with our children. Adults have had so much life experience and know how the world works.  I think whatever is bothering her at the moment doesn't seem silly to her.  What are her goals? Are they realistic.?  It sounds like your daughter might be a perfectionist. Is it necessary for everything to be perfect?  No, we all make mistakes.  Perfectionists tend to sabotage their own success and succeed despite their perfectionism.  Perfectionism makes them stressed and anxious and they have to deal with those feelings every day on top of striving for success  Perfectionists also often have what is called a fixed mindset. They believe their basic abilities such as intelligence and talents are fixed traits.   They are set in stone.  For them, If they are not naturally good at something there is no hope of improvement.  This mindset leads them to them want to appear perfect and never make mistakes.  Your daughter probably needs some help to change her fixed mindset to a  growth mindset.  People who have growth mindsets believe their abilities can improve over time. thinking this way helps become more motivated and resilient They believe they can find ways to fix mistakes and get better at the challenging things by getting help, studying a different way,  and not giving up. A therapist who treats children her age could help her re-frame her approach to challenging tasks and the way she thinks about her gifts and talents.
Topic: depression

Question: How do I overcome my depression?
I feel depressed even though I act like a happy with my family. I act like I’m happy so my son doesn’t see me sad. I act like my life is a happy life, but I feel sad and depressed. I sometimes think of killing myself and that my family deserve someone better than me. I just cry and write in my book all these feelings.

Answer (from Lauren Ostrowski, MA, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH, CCTP, CCHI tailor my therapeutic approach to each client's strengths and goals):
It sounds like you have several different things happening at the same time. I would encourage you to call and speak to a local therapist. If you are having thoughts of killing yourself in this moment, please call 800-273-8255 and talk to someone.While I follow that you would like your son to be unaware of what you are going through, that doesn't mean that you can't discuss your feelings with someone else. Who is it that you trust or could speak with about this? A therapist could be one person, but perhaps there is someone else in your life as well.One thing that may help is to find a bead or rock that is smooth and you can hold onto it while thinking of a specific memory where you were happy. This could be from as long ago as necessary as long as it is specific and you can place yourself back in that time when you are thinking about it. If you think about this time while holding onto the bead, the bead may remind you of a time when you felt happy. You could do the same thing for a time when you felt comfortable and safe.Have you recognized any patterns for what is leading you to be sad?Can you think of anything that makes you feel good, even if it only works for a few minutes?
Topic: intimacy

Question: My partner is bored of being intimate with me
My partner and I have had an amazing relationship and connection for over two years. We're very committed to each other and are planning a very long life together. However, he recently was very open and honest that he isn't interested in having sex with me anymore. He says this has happened in every past relationships and has ended it as a result. He knows it's because it's the "same person" feeling, but how can he get over this?

Answer (from Sherry Katz, LCSWCouples and Family Therapist, LCSW):
I wonder how long "anymore" will be for your boyfriend.Since you both are planning a long life together, instead of his custom of ending relationships when he feels bored with the sex, he will be facing the situation of being in a relationship and not having sex with his partner to whom he is committed.What are your own views on the meaning of sex in a relationship?Knowing this will help you be better able to collaborate with your boyfriend on finding ways of balancing what you each would like.
Topic: trauma

Question: Is it possible for a person to stop feeling emotions?
I was raped a couple months ago, Since then, along with other unfortunately events that have occurred, I have been having trouble feeling emotions. It's almost as if I'm a sociopath lacking any feeling. What can I do to change this?

Answer (from Ruby Booth):
I'm so sorry you've been hurt.  It's very normal to stop feeling emotions as a way to protect yourself after experiencing a traumatic event.  You can think of it as emotional shock-- you experienced something that was so awful that you have numbed yourself (mind and body) as a way to stop the emotional and physical pain of the event.  It's actually pretty amazing that our selves know how to do this automatically.  And, I hear you saying that you'd like to get some feeling back now.So here are some ideas for how you can change this:I think it would be a great idea to find an experienced therapist you like and trust and/or a good support group so that you can have some allies as you go through this process.  You also could try journaling.  If you're not sure what to write then check out this list of prompts to get you started (it's for teachers, but I really like it).  There's also art journaling.  Pinterest has lots of suggestions.Meditation could be useful.  There are lots of apps available that offer guided meditations.Yoga, tai chi, or chi gong might also help.I have lots of other ideas, but without knowing more about you I'm reluctant to make suggestions that could accidentally make you feel worse.  IThis protective mechanism of numbing yourself kicked in for a good reason and as you get your feelings back, you may find some pretty challenging reactions coming up.  I guess my final piece of advice to is encourage you to trust yourself and gently go at your own pace in your healing.  I hope this was helpful.
Topic: trauma

Question: How can I convince my mother to seek help for her obsessive-compulsive disorder?
My mother has quite severe, undiagnosed OCD, diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder, and maybe other mental health issues. She is weeks away from moving in with me, my husband, and our three children. I love my mother, but once she gets within her own area, she begins to tape all cracks and crevasses. She cannot tolerate any smells.

Answer (from Sherry Katz, LCSWCouples and Family Therapist, LCSW):
One way to handle the situation is to develop willingness to tolerate her unusual habits.  Would you be willing to talk with your kids that grandma is sensitive to smells and her way to address this is to tape up cracks and crevasses?As long as her behavior isn't aggressive, harmful to anyone, unethical or immoral, and you'd like her to live with you, then someone both sides need to be happy with the living condition.Also, if you haven't already done so, negotiate with your mom that the common family areas are off limits to taping the the cracks.  As part of adjusting to living with your family it is reasonable to expect she respect common areas and to limit her taping habit to her private sections within the house.Approach the matter fairly and with the expectation to satisfy all the people who are affected.
Topic: intimacy

Question: I feel completely alone in my marriage
I have been married for 11 years. Within the past 2 years we have drifted far apart. We coexist together but there is very little personal interest in each other. I often feel that my husband has "friends" at work that he is more emotional invested in than me. I feel very alone and just uncared for. Is there anything I can do to feel reconnected?

Answer (from Samara PerezAre you ready for change? Let's make change happen.):
What you are describing is something I often refer to as "living with your roommate" phenomenon. This is the idea that you feel like you are living with a roommate and no your partner or spouse . It is not uncommon for members of a couple to report to feel both physical and/or emotional distance. When we don't feel connected within relationships, this can be isolating and lonely. The emotional distance often makes us wonder: am I important to the other? These types of feelings need to be better understood in the context of your own background and upbringing I.e., who you are and also better understood in the context of your couple. Feeling reconnected can occur-- but there is not a "one size fits all" solutoon. As a first step, do you or your partner have any ideas of how to feel reconnected? Have you considering talking to your partner about the emotional void? Or how about discussing  solutions , together, that might help-- from individual therapy to couple therapy to a weekly date night to inquiring about one another's personal interest to starting off the conversation of what both of you want and can do to re-establish feelings of connectiveness. If this is too frightening I.e., to address the lack of connection between you and your spouse.  a fist meeting with a couple therapist can likely help unpack what the possible solutions for your couple.
Topic: anxiety

Question: How do I cope with separation anxiety while boyfriend is out of town?
I have been with my boyfriend for more than a year. He recently got a new job and travels a lot. I’m not used to him being gone all the time. I feel as though he has forgotten about me because he does not talk with me as much and doesn’t keep me up to date on everything that he does throughout the day, which he used to.
 I feel lost, sad and unwanted. This is really a tough new challenge. I just want to break up with him, but I love him so much. I don’t know why he is acting this way lately. I believe I have separation anxiety. Is there anything that I can do to help me cope with this while he is out of town?

Answer (from Lynda MartensMarriage & Family Therapist, MSc, RP, RMFT):
In a way, yes, you have separation anxiety. It's normal in a relationship for us to slow down a bit with the attachment behaviours that establish and deepen love and connection. So, just because your boyfriend isn't talking as much or keeping you up-to-date doesn't necessarily mean what you fear it means...that he's forgotten about you or loves you less. It could mean quite the opposite...that he's focused on being successful in his new job and impressing you. He may think he's loving you more, but you feel loved less. You have two jobs to do here. The first is to manage your anxiety by "talking back" to the thoughts it puts into your head. It sounds like "It's normal to be insecure, but I have tons of evidence that he loves me and that I mean the world to him..." Find that evidence that helps you refute what anxiety is trying to claim. The second part of your job is to let him know what you need. You need more affection and connection during this period when he's away (more texts, phone calls, information). It's okay to want that, and I am sure he will be relieved to know exactly what he can do to help you feel secure and calm when he's away.
Topic: anxiety

Question: How can I learn to not shut down and say what's wrong with me?
When I get talked to by my dad or stepmom, or if I'm in trouble, I will begin to cry and not say what's wrong with me. When my dad or stepmom ask what is wrong, I never know the answers or the words to put together what is actually wrong with me.

Answer (from Kaileen McMickle, MS, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor):
I really admire that you want to express yourself to your parents!  It's very normal to have fear about how to talk to a parent, let alone two at the same time.  Most adults don't do what you want to do.Could you come up with what you want to say to them before you are feeling upset?  What do you really need them to know?  Also, do you want your dad and stepmom to meet certain emotional needs for you?  Maybe they would benefit from knowing that you have a hard time expressing yourself when you are upset and can help to come up with ways to help you through that.   Perhaps you need some space from them when you are crying, or maybe you need to talk to one parent alone vs both at the same time. You don't have to wait to be upset to have these conversations either--if you feel you can approach them when things are "calm" (whatever that means for your household), it may be easier to communicate.It's important to know they may not respond the way you want.  It's up to you to decide if you feel safe or not to express yourself, but it seems like you want to if you are seeking an answer for this dilemma!
Topic: family-conflict

Question: Should I talk honestly to my brother about his girlfriend, risking our own relationship?
My older brother (in his 60s) started dating a lady with Asperger's. She is hyper-sexual and flirty. She does not understand boundaries. They’ve been dating for a few months, and she's talking marriage. Another sibling and his wife have met her, and they have said she is never invited back. My brother always picks similar ladies. Do we speak honestly and risk losing a relationship?

Answer (from Lauren Ostrowski, MA, LPC, NCC, BC-TMH, CCTP, CCHI tailor my therapeutic approach to each client's strengths and goals):
This is tricky and quite delicate.I wonder if you could talk with your brother about whether he would be willing to have a discussion with you about something that is important to you. I would also suggest trying to make clear your true intentions. For example:Telling him that he has the right to do what he wants with who he chooses to dateThat you are talking to him about this because you care about himThat your relationship with him is important to you and that you love him and care about himAlso try to stick to examples or ideas that are objectively observable (for example, when this happens ___, I notice ___). That way you are using facts rather than opinions and things that can be observed rather than subjective emotional decisionsI would also be curious with what your brother sees in this girl, and I might even recommend starting with thatI cannot underline enough the importance of having this come across as genuine, and for lack of a better word, gentle.I also be very honest with you that I cannot guarantee that he will react positively, neutrally, or even that he will have the discussion with you.Because it is true that he could choose to continue dating this girl and perhaps even hold it against you for a while, I would also encourage you to look at the importance of this to you and where you consider the risk-benefit ratio to be.
Topic: anxiety

Question: How can I make the voices stop?
I don't remember when the voices in my head started, but I remember Hearing them when I was little.    I know it's not normal to hear voices that aren't your own. I fight the voices and I want them to stop. They've been here so long and I want them gone. How can I make the voices stop?

Answer (from Karen Keys, LMHC, CASAC, NCCRecovery and Wellness Expertise):
First, let me express my support and compassion for what you're going through. Hearing voices can be incredibly difficult and can feel like you can't get a moment's peace, even in the privacy of your own mind. And not everyone will necessarily understand what you're dealing with, so I imagine you may also be feeling isolated or somehow different. Atta girl/boy on reaching out for help! Many people find benefit to taking medications, such as risperdal, seroquel, and so on. These should be prescribed by a nurse practitioner or psychiatrist -- I do not recommend a primary care doctor venture into this area, as a general rule. Discuss the options thoroughly and insist on a good rapport with your prescriber, if you decide to go this route. Some people are having results with a talk-therapist to develop coping strategies. There is a new and somewhat less conventional approach to challenging voices with a professional to assist you, rather than to suppress the voices, which medication will do. There is peer-run organization and a general approach that attempts to live with voices in a different way.  You can read about it in Living With Voices by Marius Romme. I have heard interviews but have not read the book(s) and can't speak to its efficacy. No matter what steps you decide to try, managing your stress, sleep, exercise, healthy food is essential -- in other words, just the daily care and feeding of yourself should be included in all of your efforts and bears surprising benefits to your brain and emotional health. Best wishes to you,Karen Keys, LMHC, CASAC