Forward Therapy

22/07/2025

Daddy Issues: What do they really mean for gay men?

Whether you’re wrestling with anxious attachment, abandonment fears, or stigma around being attracted to older men, there’s no shame in seeking connection, safety, or love.

‘Daddy Issues’ isn’t a clinical term but a pop psychology expression that means different things for different people. Private therapy can help you reclaim your story with compassion.

https://www.gaycounsellor.com.au/attachment/daddy-issues/

Not all daddy issues are about trauma. And not all intergenerational desire is unhealthy. This post explores shame, stigma, and healing in gay men’s relationships.

14/07/2025

Have you ever found yourself doing all the emotional work in a connection (checking in, holding space, trying to make sense of hot-and-cold behaviour) while the other person slowly fades away?

That exhaustion you’re feeling isn’t in your head. It’s the cost of emotional labour in a one-sided relationship.

Ghosting and emotional withdrawal can feel like grief. And often, the people I work with in therapy arrive not because of a relationship ending, but because of the confusing way it just slipped away.

This kind of burnout, anxiety, and self-doubt is common, especially when your emotional needs are unmet, dismissed, or met with silence. Therapy can help you:

✔ Name what’s really happening
✔ Break free from cycles of emotional overwork
✔ Restore boundaries and self-respect
✔ Reconnect with your voice and values

Find out more here:
👉 https://www.lovecounselling.com/emotional-labour

Ghosting hurts. Emotional labour and mankeeping leave you anxious, exhausted, and doubting yourself. Learn how love counselling can help you heal and reclaim your dignity. Medicare rebates available.

10/07/2025

Is “ma********on addiction” a real diagnosis or a reflection of something deeper?
More men are reaching out to talk about habits they feel stuck in: edging, gooning, secrecy, guilt, and shame around ma********on.
But often, what’s really going on isn’t addiction in the clinical sense. It’s the emotional weight behind the behaviour: the loneliness, the anxiety, the need for relief that became a ritual.
I’ve written a new post exploring this topic with nuance and care.
If you’re feeling stuck, you’re not alone.
And you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.

👉 https://www.forwardtherapy.com/ma********on-addiction

********onAddiction

Concerned about ma********on addiction? Therapy can help you break the urge cycle with care, not shame.

16/06/2025

"Adult virgin" isn’t a diagnosis. It’s a cultural story—and one that can be rewritten.

Many men who haven’t had s*x in their 30s or 40s carry deep shame, believing they’ve failed at something essential. But masculinity and intimacy don’t follow a fixed script.

Therapy can support men to challenge shame, gently build confidence, and take meaningful steps toward connection and self-acceptance.

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.forwardtherapy.com/2025/06/adult-virgin/

09/06/2025

🌈 The party’s over. You’re back in your everyday. And suddenly, it hits you.

That low after the high. The regrets. The fog. The feeling that you’re not enough.

This is gay depression after the party—and it’s more common than we admit.

Shame, body image, perfectionism, and loneliness show up when the lights go out. You can move gently toward healing.

🖤 Link in bio

28/05/2025

Betrayal—especially in intimate relationships—can shake your confidence and leave you questioning your worth.
Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means gently reclaiming your trust in yourself.

💔

read “Healing After Betrayal": https://www.lovecounselling.com/healing-after-betrayal/

28/05/2025

Healing, Procrastination and Loneliness + hello Medibank! - https://mailchi.mp/998078f06667/keeping-in-touch-may-2025

14/05/2025

If you're lonely as a gay man in Sydney, you’re not alone.
Loneliness shows up in the lives of gay men in many ways. From relationship disconnection to the grief of ageing in a community that prizes youth, it’s time we talked about it.
👉 Tap the link in my bio to read.
Does this resonate with you?

13/04/2025

Procrastination and perfectionism often walk hand in hand.
One keeps us stuck waiting for the "right moment."�The other tells us nothing is ever good enough.
Both can quietly sabotage productivity, confidence, and creativity.
In my latest article, I explore how coaching—especially with a narrative approach—can help break that cycle and move people forward with more self-compassion and less pressure.
🌱 It's not about "doing more." It's about doing what matters.
🔗 Link in bio to read the full piece.

Coaching for productivity can address anxiety associated with perfectionism or procrastination. Book an appointment with a mental health psychology specialist to discuss strategies and start moving.

05/03/2025

A dad wrote a letter to the newspaper in support of his gay son...

Britain in the 90s seemed to see homos*xuality as something shameful. My father told the world how proud he was of me

23/02/2025

Ever struggled with ‘Not Good Enough’ Syndrome?

Many gay, bis*xual, and q***r men struggle with feelings of not feeling good enough. In my latest blog, I explore how shame impacts self-worth and offer practical steps toward greater confidence and self-acceptance. Link in bio.

*xualMen

02/12/2024

Some facts about Medicare rebates with a Mental Health Treatment Plan.

1. Medicare rebates reset at the end of this month, they don't rollover for 2025.

2. If you are considering returning for therapy, you can use any remaining Medicare rebates this month and still receive up to 10 sessions for 2025 from January.

3. If you have used all 10 sessions already, you can return to your GP for re-referral NOW to continue treatment in 2025. (You don't need to wait until January).

4. If you are thinking about obtaining a Mental Health Treatment Plan, the best time is always now. Anxiety, depression and other mental health symptoms are best not ignored.

Feel more alive in 2025.