Chosen Family & Holiday Connection | Inclusive Therapy Group

Holidays are full of warmth, laughter, and tradition for some with their loved ones. But for others — especially the LGBTQIA+ community, neurodivergent folks, and those struggling with estranged or complex family relationships — the holidays could be heavy, isolating, or even painful.

That's where Chosen Family steps in.

Chosen family has nothing to do with blood or last names; it has everything to do with mutual love, mutual understanding, and mutual authenticity. It's the friends who phone to see how you're doing, the groups that appear when the getting gets rough, and the spaces where you don't have to prove yourself — because you've already been proven.

Reclaiming Connection on Your Own Terms

The idea of "home" does not necessarily have to mean back to the place that rejects you. Home is the coffeehouse where your barista remembers your name, the friend group that gets you memes at midnight, or the group of friends that lights candles with you and begins new traditions.

Taking back the holidays can mean creating new traditions that celebrate who you are today — whether that means hosting a Friendsgiving, volunteering with your community, or setting a boundary to protect your peace.

You Deserve to Belong

Here at Inclusive Therapy Group, we understand how complex this time of year can be. Grief, rejection by family, isolation, and expectation can all emerge — but you don't have to navigate it alone. Therapy can be a space to honor both the pain and the joy, and to explore what love, family, and belonging are to you.