Inspiring Conversations with Mindy Robbins of Affirming You

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindy Robbins. 

Hi Mindy, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a conservative Christian town in California where I didn’t know any other queer or trans folks. I always felt different, but I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t quite fit in with my female or male groups of friends, but I could get along with just about anyone. It wasn’t until I moved to Arizona for college that I was able to connect with other people who were openly queer. My original plan was to study architecture, and I later found my passion in social work. I worked on a sexual assault crisis team for about five years, and I started to notice the lack of knowledge and training community services had on LGBTQ+ related issues, sexual health, and how this impacted the clients I served. I began volunteering with various organizations and community events to ensure I knew the local resources to support myself and my clients. During my master’s program is when I became interested in becoming a therapist. I enjoyed the crisis work I was doing and acknowledged the toll that it took on my body. I was working long hours, was on-call overnight, and I didn’t get to see the healing that occurred for survivors after the crisis event itself was over. While in grad school, I focused on growing my skills as a therapist. I interned as a therapist my first year supporting sexual assault survivors and people with general mental health concerns. During my second year, I furthered my skills and training as a trauma therapist and worked with LGBTQ+ veterans who experienced military-related trauma. After graduating, I worked in private practice as a therapist, working solely with queer and trans folks. It became apparent that most trauma that people face could be solved through better sex education. Not only do queer and trans people experience the trauma of not being able to learn about their identities, but people, in general, do not receive education on healthy relationships, consent, and boundaries. I struggled to find a therapist of my own who understood my intersecting identities as a queer, non-binary, and neurodivergent person living with ADHD. I noticed that through my journey of self-discovery and healing, I was expending a lot of my energy in trying to get people around me to be more affirming and to be just as passionate about creating change as I was. I realized that I couldn’t change people’s minds or convince them to create the affirming spaces both me and my clients needed. However, I could create these spaces on my own and be the therapist I needed for someone else. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it was a smooth road to get here. There have been many bumps along the way. 

I’m a first-generation college student, and navigating college on my own was a challenge. I didn’t have any non-binary people to look up to and I didn’t know any trans people in a professional career. Not having someone who held similar identities of my own to look up to caused a lot of fear for me when coming out. I thought I’d lose my relationships, job and that no one would want me to be their therapist. I sought out a mentor to help support me through coming out both in my personal and professional life. Some of my fears came to reality, and my mentor, a non-binary therapist in Colorado whom I found online, helped support me along the way. Losing relationships after coming out was hard for me. Looking back now, I can see that letting go of these relationships has led me to where I am today, but it wasn’t an easy thing to go through. Ultimately the relationships and opportunities I lost allowed me to find other connections and opportunities where I felt seen and valued. I’ve come to find that the many things I’ve thought I needed to hide about myself are actually the very things that I need to share with the world. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Affirming You PLLC?
I became passionate about LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent affirming therapy throughout my journey of self-discovery, and I wanted to share the knowledge I had of all the things that helped support my clients and me in living fulfilling lives. I opened my private practice in Downtown Phoenix just a few months ago, and it has been amazing to see the sense of community it has created. I’m a trauma-informed gender specialist who provides an affirming space to those who are 2sLGBQIA+, gender questioning, transgender, non-binary/ gender diverse, neurodivergent, polyam, and kinky. When starting my business and talking with a friend and colleague designing my logo, I realized how uncomfortable I felt when asked questions about creating a brand. I spent a lot of my career feeling out of place and fearful of not fitting in or not being “on brand.” So being able to share that with someone and be heard and not dismissed was impactful for me. It was then that I realized our society places a lot of pressure on keeping up with trends and having things look a certain way. I learned that creating a brand is really about creating an extension of yourself. For me, it’s sharing who I am and the things I’m passionate about with the world around me. I genuinely believe that every one of us holds a unique perspective of the world and that healing occurs when we align with our most authentic selves. My brand is about affirming all of the intersecting identities that make us who we are and learning to celebrate the things that make us unique. After studying to become a therapist, I became interested in learning about other cultures and how westernized medicine and therapy practices had been colonized and adapted from eastern philosophies and indigenous teachings. I grew a deep appreciation for yoga, became a certified yoga teacher, and began incorporating yoga into my therapy sessions. I offer individual therapy, relationship therapy, group therapy, ADHD coaching, LGBTQ+/ neurodivergent affirming therapy consultation, and community yoga classes. I hope to continue learning, growing, making therapy more accessible, and finding meaningful ways to give back to my community and the land I occupy. 

What does success mean to you?
To me, success is learning to love yourself, even in moments you have to stand alone. It’s learning to love all the things that make you, you. Even in moments when you are told not to. It’s finding what brings you joy, learning to rest, and building genuine connections with people who allow you to feel safe, seen, and valued. 

Pricing:

• Individual Therapy $150/ 50 mins
• Couple’s Therapy $200/ 50 mins
• Group Therapy $50-80/ 60-90 mins
• Pro bono and sliding scale services for 2sLGBTQIA+ folks in financial need
• LGBTQ+ & Neurodivergent Affirming Consultation for Therapists $150/ 60 mins

Contact Info:

• Email: mindy@affirmingyoutherapy.com
• Website: https://linktr.ee/Affirmingyou
• Instagram: @queeryogitherapist

Image Credits
OKAK Photography
Raudhah Rahman Yoga + Webdesign