Liz Frost is the Owner and Founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy, a trauma-informed telehealth practice based in Washington State. She specializes in helping clients heal from complex trauma, religious harm, and identity-related struggles. With over a decade of clinical experience, Liz integrates EMDR, narrative therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches. She is dedicated to serving the LGBTQIA+ community and fostering a supportive, inclusive practice for both clients and clinicians.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [02:01] Liz Frost defines queerness
- [03:24] Why queerness can feel isolating without generational guidance
- [06:04] The grief process of coming out and watching others mourn your identity
- [09:23] What led Liz to focus on queer- and gender-affirming care
- [15:46] How Liz approaches gender-affirming letter evaluations with trauma-informed care and client autonomy
- [19:16] Building a diverse, inclusive, and client-centered practice
- [36:11] Supporting queer clients through political grief while holding space for revolutionary joy and community
In this episode…
Some people spend years in therapy without ever truly feeling seen. For LGBTQ+ clients especially, therapy can often feel like another space where they must explain, justify, or tone themselves down. But what happens when therapy is built from the ground up to affirm who they are?
According to Liz Frost, a licensed therapist and mental health advocate, healing becomes possible when queer clients no longer carry the burden of educating their therapist. She highlights that true affirming care is about safety, not just support — meeting people in their grief, identity, and transformation without pathologizing their experience. The impact is profound: lives are not only saved, but deeply reshaped through connection, clarity, and compassion. Liz brings a trauma-informed lens to the clinical process, advocating for client autonomy in everything from gender-affirming letters to long-term identity exploration. She believes affirming therapy isn’t just a specialty, but a necessity.
In this episode of With Intention, Liz Frost, Owner and Founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy, is interviewed by Chad Franzen of Rise25 Media to talk about how queer-affirming therapy saves lives and transforms mental health. Liz shares why LGBTQ+ clients face unique therapeutic challenges, how she approaches gender-affirming care, and the role of joy in the healing journey. Liz also gives advice for therapists looking to better support queer clients.
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
Quotable Moments:
- “Queer people deserve queer therapists because it’s just a very different experience than being a straight person.”
- “You’re assuming this suffering is what everybody has to do, and maybe it’s not.”
- “Queer care and gender-affirming care is life-saving because people would rather die than live.”
- “I don’t think I should have the power to decide what someone’s body looks like.”
- “Queer joy is an act of revolution: every time queer joy exists, it stomps that dogma.”
Action Steps:
- Normalize queer-affirming language in clinical settings: Using inclusive language signals safety and respect, helping clients feel seen from the start.
- Offer sliding scale or pro-bono gender-affirming letters: Removing financial barriers can save lives for trans clients seeking medical or legal transitions.
- Train staff on trauma-informed practices for LGBTQ+ care: A trauma-aware approach reduces harm and empowers clients navigating systemic and identity-based stress.
- Hire therapists with lived queer experience: Matching clients with clinicians who “get it” reduces the emotional burden of explaining identity in therapy.
- Center joy alongside grief in therapeutic work: Uplifting queer joy builds resilience and combats despair in a hostile sociopolitical climate.
Sponsor for this episode
This episode is brought to you by Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy.
Founded by Liz Frost, LICSW, Intentional Spaces offers inclusive, trauma-informed virtual care across Washington State, helping individuals, couples, and families navigate life’s complexities.
Whether you’re processing religious trauma, exploring your identity, or seeking support for anxiety or depression, their diverse team of therapists specializes in EMDR, CBT, DBT, and narrative therapy, ensuring personalized support for every client.
Ready to embark on your healing journey? Go to intentionalspaces/contact, and take the first step toward a more intentional life.
