Zac Branstool, LPCC

Queer, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with a lifetime of lived experience

As a queer Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, I’m deeply committed to providing affirming, identity-conscious therapy for the LGBTQIA+ community. I know firsthand how powerful it can be to sit across from someone who truly gets it—someone who understands that gender, sexuality, culture, and lived experience don’t just influence our mental health, they’re woven into every part of our story.

I believe that nothing in life happens in isolation. Every experience—whether it’s joy or grief, rejection or celebration, trauma or transition—shapes who you are and how you move through the world. In our work together, we won’t just look at symptoms or surface-level struggles. We’ll hold space for the full picture: your identity, your relationships, your past, your hopes, and the systems that have impacted you. Therapy with me is about reclaiming your story and learning how to move forward with clarity, self-trust, and compassion.

Whether you're navigating trauma, anxiety, relationship challenges, life transitions, identity exploration, or the fatigue of constantly code-switching or masking in spaces that don’t fully see you—I’m here to walk beside you. I specialize in working with queer and trans adults who are trying to make sense of who they are while holding space for the many layers of what they’ve been through. That might look like:

unpacking religious or family-based shame

learning how to communicate and set boundaries in a partnership

processing the grief of being misunderstood or rejected

untangling internalized homophobia or transphobia

figuring out what you want when you’ve spent your life focused on what others expect

I bring warmth, curiosity, and a down-to-earth presence to each session. My style is relational, trauma-informed, and grounded in evidence-based modalities like CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing—but always adapted to your needs, your pace, and your story.

You don’t need to have it all figured out before starting therapy. You just need a place to begin—and someone who will hold space for all of who you are.

If you're ready to take that step, I invite you to book with me through my website. I’d be honored to support you on this journey toward healing, empowerment, and radical self-understanding.