Lulu Duffy-Tumasz, LSW

My clinical, organizing, and personal experiences have shown me time and again that personal change of any form occurs best through relationships based on trust, compassion, and a common purpose. Relationships where you are encouraged to say what’s on your mind, take risks, gain new insights, and be challenged while not feeling judged. In our sessions together, I will focus intently on honoring and centering your autonomy as we co-create a therapeutic space for you to work towards your self-determined goals for therapy. My intention is not to teach you the “correct” way to live but to learn what already works for you and help create a space for you to explore yourself further. 

My clinical practice is informed by psychodynamic, relational, trauma-informed, and experiential modalities, with a focus on topics surrounding anxiety and depression, relationships, sex, sexuality, and gender identity. I am also deeply informed by harm reduction, feminist, post-colonial, and queer theory, and histories of direct struggle against oppression. These practices allow us to contextualize your lived experience in our society and culture. In session, I listen attentively while encouraging you to dive deeper into what feelings, thoughts, and past experiences underlie. I’ve learned to embrace the absurdity and ambiguity of life and its hardships through humor and leaning into awkwardness; this is an ever present part of my style. 

I specialize in working with: those who have experienced trauma, current and former sex workers, queer and trans people and others exploring their sexual and gender identity, and people who use substances, particularly those who feel traditional recovery models do not fit them best. I also enjoy working with people who understand themselves as neurodivergent, and those who are unsure or skeptical of mental health providers and psychotherapy. I am polyamory and kink knowledgeable, fat positive, and competent and experienced on issues related to gender-affirming care.