{"id":19913,"date":"2022-10-10T09:33:37","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T14:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=19913"},"modified":"2023-03-06T15:35:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:35:51","slug":"my-queer-friendly-therapist-makes-me-feel-seen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/patient-stories\/my-queer-friendly-therapist-makes-me-feel-seen\/","title":{"rendered":"My Queer-Friendly Therapist Makes Me Feel Seen"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early summer 2022, Marcella Bilotto, a 23-year-old student based in Chicago, began feeling the impact of a series of personal tragedies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a full-time pre-law student and bartender, Bilotto has a lot on her plate. And it was becoming hard to function; She found herself having extreme anxiety and making impulsive choices. She knew she needed to seek help for her mental health when her friends began telling her they were worried about her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Over the course of two weeks, I had three of four people say, ‘Maybe you should start seeing a therapist,” she says. \u201cThat kind of drew me to think, ‘Maybe I should. I keep hearing this over and over again, it seems like a good time to start.'”<\/span><\/p>\n

Bittolo identifies as queer, which made her search for a therapist<\/a> more complicated. She had reservations about going to therapy; In the past she had met with a few therapists that \u201cdidn\u2019t really<\/span> understand the adverse effects of being queer in modern society.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to find a provider who\u2019s entirely unbiased when it comes to queer sexual health,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With Zocdoc, she was able to customize her search preferences to match the type of support she felt she really needed, and found psychotherapist <\/span>Stephanie Franzoni<\/span><\/a>, an LGBTQ+ friendly licensed professional counselor. Luckily, they hit it off right away. She\u2019s formed a great relationship with Franzoni over the past couple months \u2014 and doesn\u2019t see herself stopping anytime soon. Franzoni was able to refer Bilotto to a provider who helped her reach an ADHD diagnosis and adjust mental health medications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSwitching antidepressants was a game changer,\u201d Bilotto says. \u201cBut having an ADHD diagnosis changed my perspective on life and how I can go through my daily routine and the structure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Franzoni has also just been able to help guide<\/a> Bilotto through being a queer young 20-something in 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve had several therapists throughout my life, and she is definitely the best fit,\u201d she says. \u201cI like to think it’s because of Zocdoc, because I was able to personalize and tailor this person to my needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book an appointment with a therapist<\/a>? Visit Zocdoc.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After going through some major personal issues, I found a therapist who helped me navigate being a queer twenty-something. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":19914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patient-stories","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi"],"yoast_head":"\nMy Queer-Friendly Therapist Makes Me Feel Seen - Patient Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After going through some major personal issues, I found a therapist who helped me navigate being a queer twenty-something.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/patient-stories\/my-queer-friendly-therapist-makes-me-feel-seen\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Queer-Friendly Therapist Makes Me Feel Seen - 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