LGBT Services

JFCS/East Bay is proud to offer a welcoming environment for East Bay LGBT individuals, couples, parents, and families. Recognizing the distinct social service needs of the LGBT community, all of our therapists have gone through LGBT sensitivity and clinical training. We also have the capacity to offer a Jewish framework for understanding individual and family issues.

Couples Counseling

As an agency that welcomes and celebrates family diversity, JFCS/East Bay strongly supports the 2008 California Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the right of lesbians and gay men to marry.
 
Despite the passage of Proposition 8, JFCS/East Bay is committed to providing guidance for couples as they explore their readiness to enter into this profound level of commitment. Our professional mental health staff will help you and your partner examine the various issues that may arise for you, and your families, as your marriage approaches. Welcoming lesbian and gay couples of all backgrounds, premarital counseling is offered in our Berkeley office on a private-pay basis; we also accept MediCal, Medicare, and private insurance.
 
Individual Counseling
 
Our therapists are available to provide guidance on the range of issues experienced by LGBT individuals of all religions and affiliations. We have expertise working with people who are exploring their sexual or gender identity for the first time as well as people in all stages of transitioning.
 
LGBT Refugee Services

JFCS/East Bay provides comprehensive services for LGBT individuals who have fled their home countries due to persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Unlike other refugees, LGBT individuals often arrive in the country alone; many have been victims of violence, torture, and rape.

JFCS/East Bay’s LGBT Refugee Services include: support with the resettlement process; help enrolling in benefits programs; assistance navigating the health care system, including referrals to local services; counseling services and mental health referrals; support finding educational and vocational resources; outreach to LGBT social and cultural groups; volunteer support with English, life skills, and social integration; case management; and Farsi-, Dari-, Russian-, and Spanish-speaking staff.