- Online & In-Person Sessions Available in Newhall-Santa Clarita, Los Angeles & Studio City
Gender Affirming Therapist in Santa Clarita, CA
Empowering Support for Your Journey
Welcome, I'm Julia.
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #104811) and a gender affirming therapist based in Santa Clarita, with nearly 20 years of experience supporting gender-diverse clients navigating gender identity, relationships, and self-expression.
My work has centered on supporting marginalized and gender-diverse communities through an intersectional, strength-based approach to therapy.
My approach is grounded in the belief that understanding how your history shapes your present is the foundation of meaningful change. Whether you’re navigating gender identity, exploring your authentic self, or seeking a WPATH mental health assessment for gender-affirming care, I’m here to support your journey at whatever pace feels right for you.
I offer both online and in-person sessions across three locations in Los Angeles, Newhall-Santa Clarita, and Studio City.
Office Locations
Newhall-Santa Clarita Office
24509 Walnut St Ste. 201,
Newhall, CA 91321
(818) 646-7921
Los Angeles Office
566 S. San Vicente Blvd STE 101
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 483-4225
Studio City Office
11712 Moorpark St suite 101
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 646-7921
Have questions?Call or Schedule a Consultation
Gender Affirming Therapy in Santa Clarita
Living outside the heteronormative binary comes with its own set of challenges: navigating gender dysphoria, managing family responses, accessing affirming healthcare, and finding a therapist who truly understands your lived experience — without having to educate them first.
As a licensed LMFT in California with over 20 years of experience working with the transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse community, I specialize in affirming care that centers your lived experience and supports you in showing up more fully as yourself.
Research from the U.S. Transgender Survey (2022) found that 1 in 4 transgender adults report avoiding needed healthcare due to fear of discrimination.
This is a reminder of how important it is to find a therapist who genuinely feels safe, affirming, and understanding. Here, your gender expression, identity, and history are not problems to fix or obstacles to overcome; they are an important part of your story and the foundation of our work together.
Whether you’re in the early stages of exploring your gender identity, well into your transition journey, or seeking an inclusive therapist who genuinely affirms you, this is a space where you can show up exactly as you are.
Ready to take the first step? Reach out when you’re ready to begin.
If you're searching for a gender affirming therapist in Santa Clarita, you deserve a space where your identity is never questioned — only honored and affirmed.
Gender Identity
Questioning your gender identity can bring up intense feelings — shame, fear, grief, and anxiety — often rooted in societal pressures that were never yours to carry. As your gender affirming therapist, I strive to create a space where you feel welcome exploring those experiences at your own pace, without judgment, pressure, or agenda. There's no pressure to have everything figured out before starting. In gender identity therapy sessions, we may explore:
- Your gender history, expression, and sense of self
- The emotional weight of living in a world not built for you
- Managing gender dysphoria and body image concerns
- Preparing for or processing social and medical transitions
- Communicating your identity to family, friends, and employers
LGBTQIA Relationships
LGBTQIA relationships carry beauty, resilience, and complexity that mainstream therapy often fails to understand. Whether you're navigating relationship dynamics as a nonbinary person, managing the intersection of gender identity and intimacy, or working through the impact of minority stress on your partnership, affirming care makes a difference. Areas we commonly explore in LGBTQIA relationship therapy:
- Communication and conflict rooted in identity-related stress
- Navigating relationships during or after transition
- Queer family structures and chosen family dynamics
- Body image and intimacy challenges
- Processing discrimination experienced as a couple or family
WPATH Letters for Gender-Affirming Surgery
If you are considering pursuing medical transition, I provide mental health assessment letters that adhere to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care. My approach to the assessment process is collaborative, respectful, and supportive — not a gatekeeping experience. The letter process includes:
- A collaborative, respectful assessment — not a gatekeeping interview
- Discussion of your gender history, goals, and readiness
- A letter aligned with current WPATH SOC standards
- Support for procedures including chest masculinization, breast augmentation, vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, and other gender-affirming surgeries
- Ongoing therapy support before and after medical procedures
Exploring Sexuality & Gender Identity
You don't need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. Many clients come to me mid-questioning — uncertain, curious, or feeling the gap between who they are and who the world expects them to be. That in-between space is exactly where affirming therapy can help. Whether you are:
- Questioning your gender identity or sexual orientation for the first time
- Exploring what nonbinary, genderfluid, or trans means for you
- Processing how religion, family, or culture intersects with your identity
- Navigating the emotional exhaustion of existing in non-affirming spaces
- Healing from conversion therapy or religious trauma
Inclusive Therapist Specializing in Gender Identity in Santa Clarita
“It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.” – Laverne Cox
Because finding a therapist who doesn’t just “accept” you, but genuinely understands and affirms your experience, is rare and it can make a meaningful difference.
According to the U.S. Transgender Survey, 40% of transgender respondents had reported attempting suicide in their lifetime, compared to 4.6% of the general population, a sobering reminder of the mental health stakes for gender-diverse individuals living in unsupportive environments.
As a Santa Clarita-based gender affirming therapist, I understand what it means to live outside the gender binary here — the specific challenges of navigating a more conservative area, including the exhaustion of constantly having to explain yourself, the importance of finding affirming local LGBTQ resources in Santa Clarita, and the need for support that genuinely feels safe and understanding.
My practice integrates LGBTQ affirmative therapy principles with trauma-informed care, Gottman Method-informed approaches for relationships, and PACT Level 1 training delivered with genuine understanding, not performative allyship.
Whether you’re in-person in Newhall or connecting with me online from anywhere in California, you’ll find a space here where you are not just tolerated, but truly welcomed.
Work with Me
Starting gender affirming therapy in Santa Clarita is a big step, especially if you’ve had experiences where you didn’t feel fully seen or understood. Therapy should feel like a space where you can exhale a little.
Here’s exactly what the process looks like:
Free Consultation
We start with a free 20-minute phone call — no pressure, no commitment. You share what's been coming up, ask questions, and get a feel for how I work. Some people decide to move forward right away, while others take time to think about it. Both are completely okay.
Weekly Sessions
We’ll meet weekly in a supportive, non-judgmental space where we can process your experiences, build practical tools, and gently work through patterns that no longer serve you, all at a pace that feels right for you.
Tailored Plan
Your first full session helps shape a therapy plan built around your identity, goals, lived experiences, and the kind of support you’re looking for, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Ongoing Support & Growth
Therapy isn’t about fixing who you are. It’s about feeling more connected to yourself, your identity, and the life you want to build. As you grow and change, our work can grow alongside you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gender affirming therapy with me is collaborative, compassionate, and entirely led by your lived experience, not a checklist. Together, we'll explore how gender dysphoria, body image concerns, anxiety, depression, trauma, or relationship challenges intersect with your daily life, all through an LGBTQIA-affirming lens drawing from CBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, mindfulness, and trauma-informed frameworks.
Can gender affirming counseling help with LGBTQIA relationship challenges?
Related Services
Online & In-Person Session Availability
Julia Schwab Therapy offers both online and in-person sessions. In-person appointments are available in Los Angeles, Studio City, and the Newhall–Santa Clarita area. Online sessions are available to clients throughout California.