Acacia Collaborative Psychological Services:
Affirming LGBTQ+ Therapy in North Carolina
LGBTQ+ Therapy Specialists
Being LGBTQ+ can be a source of pride, connection, and joy, and it can also come with unique challenges, stressors, and experiences that deserve thoughtful support. From identity exploration and coming out, to relationship concerns, family dynamics, discrimination, or internalized shame, our therapists are trained to understand the nuances of LGBTQ+ lives and provide a space where you feel seen, respected, and affirmed. Get started today to take the first step toward feeling more grounded, confident, and supported in your life.
In-Person & Online Sessions Available
The offices of Acacia Collaborative are warm, welcoming, and thoughtfully designed to create a sense of safety and ease. We strive to offer a space where you can relax into the therapeutic process and speak openly about what matters most to you. Our secure online therapy platform also allows LGBTQ+ clients anywhere in North Carolina to access affirming care from the comfort of their own space.
Making Getting Started Easy
We know that reaching out for support, especially around deeply personal topics like identity, relationships, or mental health, can feel vulnerable or overwhelming. That’s why we make starting therapy as simple and supportive as possible. You can begin with a free 15-minute consultation to meet your therapist, ask questions, and see if it feels like a good fit before scheduling your first session.
Quick Facts
- Who It’s For:LGBTQ+ teens, adults, couples, and individuals seeking affirming mental health support related to identity, relationships, emotional wellness, or life transitions
- Conditions Treated: Anxiety, depression, identity exploration, self-esteem concerns, discrimination-related stress, family conflict, relationship challenges, trauma, and emotional overwhelm
- Modalities Offered: Affirming talk therapy, CBT, DBT-informed skills, trauma-informed therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, emotional regulation support, and strengths-based counseling
- Sessions: Individual, couples, and family therapy sessions typically lasting 50–60 minutes and tailored to each client’s unique experiences and goals
- Supportive Approach: Therapy provides a safe, inclusive, and nonjudgmental environment where clients can explore identity, relationships, and emotions without pressure or stigma
- Telehealth:Secure online LGBTQ+ therapy available statewide across North Carolina
Is LGBTQ+ therapy only for identity-related concerns?
No. LGBTQ+ therapy can address any mental health concern, including trauma, grief, relationships, self-esteem, stress, family dynamics, or emotional regulation. At Acacia Collaborative, licensed depression specialists take a holistic approach tailored to each person, helping clients move from a cycle of suffering toward more consistent comfort, peace, and daily functioning.
About Acacia Collaborative
If you are experiencing pain or discomfort, you don't have to continue suffering forever or find solutions alone. We understand the confusion and pain that come along with life's challenges and have the knowledge to help you. Together, we can find a new way of living that brings you more consistent comfort and peace.
Pursuing therapy can be challening, especially when mental suffering can make it hard to do anything at all. Our team makes it simple. Our collaborative & supportive approach to therapy begins before you ever have your first appointment. At Acacia you can speak with our providers prior to even conducting your first appointment to see if they're the right personal fit for you. Our team also assists you in communicating with your insurance company. Now accepting North Carolina State Health Plan, Aetna & Blue Cross Blue Shield (not UNC Health Alliance).
Contact us to discuss how Acacia Collaborative can help you today.
Will therapy be affirming and inclusive?
Yes. Acacia Collaborative is committed to providing an affirming, respectful, and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals across identities and experiences.
Sources: The Trevor Project — LGBTQ+ youth mental health and crisis resources
https://www.thetrevorproject.org
How LGBTQ+ Therapy Works
1. Reach Out: Contact Acacia Collaborative at any point in your decision to begin therapy. A consultation may be available to answer questions, discuss concerns, and help determine whether a therapist feels like the right fit for you.
2. Intake: Once an appointment is scheduled, electronic intake paperwork is completed before the first session. During this stage, your therapist gathers information about your experiences, emotional concerns, relationships, and goals for therapy.
3. First Session: Your first appointment focuses on creating emotional safety and understanding what brought you to therapy. Together, you and your therapist begin building a personalized treatment plan that aligns with your needs and values.
4. Exploring Identity & Emotional Experiences: Therapy provides space to process identity development, relationships, stress, discrimination, self-esteem concerns, life transitions, or past experiences impacting emotional wellbeing.
5. Building Coping Skills & Support: Using evidence-based approaches such as CBT, DBT-informed therapy, mindfulness, and trauma-informed care, sessions focus on emotional regulation, resilience, communication, and self-compassion.
6. Strengthening Confidence & Connection: As therapy progresses, clients often work toward greater self-acceptance, healthier relationships, emotional clarity, and a stronger sense of identity and belonging.
7. Ongoing Support: Therapy continues at a pace that supports long-term emotional wellness and personal growth, with flexible online and in-person scheduling available throughout North Carolina.
Getting Started is Easy
1. Contact Us
At any point in your decision to pursue therapy or assessment, feel free to contact us with questions. We will gladly talk with you over the phone to determine if one of us will be a good fit. Visit our Contact Page.
2. Intake
Once you have scheduled an appointment, you will be emailed forms to complete electronically prior to your first appointment. If you have Aetna, Blue Cross, or State Health Plan insurance benefits will be processed.
3. First Session
Your first appointment will be 60 minutes. In this first appointment, we will discuss what brought you in, your history, and will develop a “game plan” with you to work toward your goals.
More About Acacia Collaborative
“There’s A Lot In A Name” – Shakespeare
Why did we choose the name Acacia? The Acacia tree (pronounced Ah-KAY-shah) is a medicinal tree that looks quite different depending on the environment in which it has grown; leafy in more nutrient-rich environments and thorny in less supportive ones. This represents how people develop ways of coping with their circumstances or finding ways to overcome adversity in their lives.
Sometimes we may continue to think, feel, and behave in ways that once worked for us but now no longer provide the desired result. This is where Acacia Collaborative comes in. We can help you identify what may be causing more pain than joy in your life, introduce to you other, more effective options, and help eliminate roadblocks that are preventing you from experiencing a more fulfilled life. We chose a full leafy tree as our logo to convey the growth and enrichment possible through therapy.
Learn even more about us, our in-network insurances, fees, and more below!
Get Started Contact Form
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you located?
Acacia Collaborative Psychological Services provides in-person therapy in the triangle at our offices in Cary & Durham. We also provide online therapy to all residents and locations of North Carolina.
Cary Office Address:
570 New Waverly Pl #210, Cary, NC. 27518
NEW Durham Office Address:
3710 University Drive, Suite 302, Durham, NC. 27707
Are you in-network with my insurance?
We are in-network with Aetna, the North Carolina State Health Plan & Blue Cross Blue Shield (not UNC Health Alliance). We are credentialed with the following Medicaid plans: Healthy Blue, Carolina Complete, and Wellcare.
In addtion to those in-network partners, all of the providers at Acacia Collaborative are qualified as out-of-network providers for all major insurance carriers in the Triangle area; with the exception of Cigna and Tricare who do NOT qualify associate-licensed clinicians, . Most of our clients use their insurance benefits to be reimbursed a percentage of treatment fees (this percentage varies based on your plan’s benefits.) We provide everything you need to easily file with your insurance, including an insurance “super bill” or statement of services and a link to your claim form. We are also happy to reach out to your insurance company, with your permission, if you would find that helpful.
What are the session fees?
Session fees range from $115 to $185 based on provider and length of session. We also offer a limited number of reduced fee spots.
There are some things that are bothering me, but also some things I specifically don't want to talk about. Is that ok?
Absolutely. At Acacia Collaborative, we “meet you where you are.” This means that we do not force you to talk about topics you are not ready to discuss or do not feel are relevant. We are trained at various levels of “depth” of treatment and believe there is no one “right” way to be in therapy.
While most people do choose to have weekly sessions for the first few months, we are flexible about how often and how long you would like your sessions to be. We will offer suggestions, but ultimately, it is your decision about what you would like to get out of therapy.
I’m in the process of shopping for a therapist, is there a way for me to speak with one of you to see if we are a good fit before committing to working with you?
Yes! “Fit” with your therapist is the most important element that makes therapy work ( according to studies, even more important than training or length of experience!). Thus, we prioritize making this part very easy for you. Our providers are happy to speak with you over the phone prior to making an appointment (you can schedule a phone call HERE). Our providers can answer your questions and address specific conerns you have, all while getting to know each other a bit and getting a feel for what it is like to work with us.
In addition, we also offer a no-risk first appointment. If you do not feel like it is a good fit after your first appointment and do not wish to continue working with that provider, there is no charge for that appointment.