A gay person shared this experience recently, “A Singaporean straight friend of mine who is a happily married mother of two invited me to bring my family to visit her family. I thanked her for the invitation and mentioned that I will bring my mother to visit her one of these days. My straight friend gave me a strange look, then said, “When I said ‘family', I did not mean your mother. I meant your partner.” It was only then that I realized I was so conditioned not to think of my partner as family that the moment my friend mentioned ‘family' I thought of my mother.”

Being a couple in a world where there are very few successful role models for a long term satisfying relationship can be difficult. Often LGBT people never even thought it possible to view their partners as families. Further most LGBT individuals have spent so many years learning to care for themselves and being independent and invulnerable in a potentially hostile environment that by the time they get into a relationship, they have forgotten what it means to be vulnerable or are utterly terrified at the idea. At Oogachaga we are committed to assisting couples work towards not only long term but satisfying relationships. Yet the sad fact is sometimes a relationship needs to end. Where a relationship needs to end for whatever reason, we are committed to assisting our clients to end it in a way that is least painful and from which one can grow most.

Oogachaga has also assisted individuals (LGBT and straight) to work out issues that involve their families, whether it be related to coming out or to just a quarrel in the family. Often our straight clients have found that our experience working with LGBT clients has been useful in viewing their own problems and challeges from a uniquely different angle.

Please feel free to contact our case manager to make an appointment:

Email: counseling@oogachaga.com

Tel: 626 86 626 (Mon-Fri, 10am to 5pm)