Joseph Sivoli, 54, knows firsthand how difficult it can be to navigate Central Florida’s mental health system. As a gay man who grew up in an abusive household, he struggled with his mental health for decades. He saw conventional therapists after he moved to Orlando but didn’t make much progress until he went to a trauma-informed therapist about five years ago.
Unlike traditional therapy, which can often focus on addressing immediate symptoms, trauma-informed therapy addresses the trauma at the root of those issues. “I never felt safe growing up, and because I never felt safe, if someone would approach me with something that I felt was a threat ..
. I would verbally attack,” Sivoli said. “There’s some learned behaviors that if you don’t recognize and unlearn later when you are safe and an adult .
.. you never unlearn.
” After several years of twice-monthly sessions, Sivoli says his mental health has greatly improved and he wants to give that gift to other LGBTQ Floridians, regardless of age, background, or circumstance. So he’s started a nonprofit, Beacon Health, that aims to do just that. “What would have happened had I learned this when I was 18? When I was 21?” said Sivoli, executive director of the new organization.
“To be able to provide that to other people, I can’t wait.” The nonprofit plans to begin offering free trauma-informed therapy to the LGBTQ community in August using volunteer licensed clinical social workers and volunteer interns from.
