Being queer saved my life. Often we see queerness as deprivation. But when I look at my life, I saw that queerness demanded an alternative innovation from me. I had to make alternative routes; it made me curious; it made me ask, “Is this enough for me?”
Ocean Vuong
— ABOUT ME
Chelsea Sokolow, LCSW
Hi! I’m so glad you are here. I’m Chelsea (she/they). I’m a queer therapist, a playful meaning-maker, a former overanalyzer (okay, still working on that one), and someone who knows firsthand what it’s like to feel out of sync with the world around you. If you’ve ever wondered:
“Is this just how it is? Is there something wrong with me? Why does it feel so hard?”
You’re in the right place.
I specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ folks, neuroquirky humans, and people living outside of “the norm” in some way - whether that’s in how you relate to others, how you think, how your body functions or feels, or any part of your life or identity that’s made you feel like you’ve never quite fit in with the mainstream.
Behind the Scenes
I grew up in Asheville, and have multi-generational roots in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and a fierce allegiance to Appalachia come hell or high water. In my lifetime I have lived, studied, and worked in North Carolina, in Rhode Island, Nicaragua, Mexico City, Cuba, Brazil, and Portugal. I hold a Master of Social Work from Western Carolina University, where I received specialized training as a HRSA Integrated Healthcare Scholar. I completed a B.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown University, with a supplementary course of study in Geography and the Environment at Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
My “clinical supervisors”
Vinegar and Nico
often attend telehealth sessions.
Throughout my career I have worked with erotically marginalized individuals, with survivors of childhood trauma and neglect, with immigrants and their families, with survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence, with traditional-age and non-traditional age undergraduate and graduate students, and adolescents in wilderness therapy. In addition to my work in the mental health field, I have worked in language justice as a Spanish-English interpreter, in community organizing, international education and leadership development, and as a server and bartender in the restaurant industry.
Our life experiences shape who we are and how we show up. The breadth of lived experiences I’ve had greatly shapes how I approach my work as a therapist, and has helped me to develop a holistic and multi-faceted approach to human health and well-being.
Baby therapist in the making (this is who will lovingly hold you accountable in session).
Outside of being a therapist, I find joy in goofing around outside, long-distance hiking, playing soccer, rock-climbing rather poorly, getting messy and being creative, building community, breaking free from both external and internalized oppression, writing, cuddling with my cats, reading all the afro-futurist, sci-fi, and speculative fiction I can get my hands on, and making up silly puns with my loved ones and laughing till I can barely breathe.
