LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapists in Salt Lake City, Utah

Schedule Consultation Call (801) 528-7719

At Peterson Family Therapy, Ed and Candace Peterson have worked with people from the LGBTQIA+ community throughout their careers. Between the two of them, they bring around 40 years of clinical experience, and a lot of that time has been spent learning how to provide care that actually feels safe and meaningful for LGBTQIA+ clients.

A Therapy Practice That Sees the Whole Picture

Because Ed and Candace are attachment therapists trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), one of the first things they look at is trauma. Many LGBTQIA+ people have spent years feeling judged, shamed, misunderstood, attacked, or emotionally unsafe. That is not just an individual mental health issue. There is a larger cultural and historical wound at play, too.

If someone is struggling with depression, for example, Ed and Candace want to look at the full picture: isolation, family wounds, shame, support systems, and the real stress of living in a culture that is unwelcoming to LGBTQIA+ people. Sometimes medication matters, and they work with trusted psychiatrists and nurse practitioners when that is part of the picture. But the relational and emotional dimensions matter just as much.

Affirming Care From Therapists Who Stay Curious

Ed and Candace are white, cisgender, heterosexual therapists. They do not have lived experience as LGBTQIA+ individuals, and they are honest about that. They take responsibility for their own ongoing education, including through the examination of privilege and unconscious bias, and they are grateful to the LGBTQIA+ family members, friends, and mentors in their lives who have contributed to that understanding.

Many LGBTQIA+ clients have had the experience of not feeling truly seen by a therapist. Ed and Candace take that seriously. The goal is for every person who walks through the door to feel respected for exactly who they are.

Meet Our LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapists

ICEEFT Certified EFT Therapist & Supervisor

Ed Peterson, LCSW, MBA

Founder & Certified EFT Supervisor

Ed has worked with LGBTQIA+ clients throughout his more than two decades of practice in Salt Lake City. As a Certified EFT Therapist and Supervisor affiliated with ICEEFT, he brings deep clinical training in attachment science and evidence based therapy. He is deliberate about acknowledging his own privilege as a white cisgender therapist, which means he follows his clients’ lead, asks more than he tells, and always looks at the whole picture: the isolation, the family wounds, the years of hiding that often sit underneath the presenting problem.

“A lot of people in the LGBTQIA+ community come in carrying pain they have been holding for a long time. Shame, rejection, years of feeling like they had to hide who they were. My job is to help people feel genuinely safe and understood, often for the first time in a therapy room. That is where the real work can start.”

Candace Peterson, LCSW

Therapist & Trauma Specialist

Candace has spent more than twenty years working at the intersection of trauma, identity, and healing, including as a facilitator of a Religious Trauma Support Group at the Utah Pride Center. Her background spans crisis intervention, PTSD work with veterans at the VA, and over a decade in addiction recovery. Trained in EFT, ACT, CBT, DBT, and Cognitive Processing Therapy, Candace creates real space for LGBTQIA+ clients to feel accepted and then helps them grow.

“So many of my LGBTQIA+ clients have spent years feeling like they had to hide, from family, from their faith community, sometimes from themselves. When someone walks into a room where they do not have to do that anymore, something changes. It is some of the most meaningful work I do.”

You Deserve a Space That Celebrates You

A lot of people carry years of pain from feeling like they have had to hide who they are. Peterson Family Therapy is a place to set that down. Whether you are coming in as an individual or as a couple, Ed and Candace are here to support and celebrate you in all your expansiveness. Fill out the secure form below, or call (801) 809-7990

Contact us today to schedule your free 15-minute consultation.