Gay Therapy LA with Ken Howard, LCSW

What if Gilligan's Island was more than a goofy sitcom? What if it was a mirror for gay men's internal struggles with shame, identity, and survival? This episode explores how each castaway reflects one of the Seven Deadly Sins—and how these moral archetypes echo the messages many gay men internalize. Through humor, camp, and therapeutic insight, this episode reclaims “sin” as a source of healing, not harm.

What holds us back from achieving our full potential? In this episode, Ken Howard, LCSW, CST explores the unconscious barriers many gay men face—like self-doubt, fear of success, cultural pressure to stay small, and toxic professional competition. With insights from 30+ years of clinical practice, he shares empowering strategies from cognitive and positive psychology to help move past internalized limitations and build a life aligned with your true goals.

Discover how the Big Five OCEAN personality traits—Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism—can help gay men improve relationships, communication, and self-understanding, with insights from therapist Ken Howard, LCSW, CST.  

Tired of flashy social media gurus? In this episode, Ken Howard, LCSW, CST, breaks down the difference between pop psych soundbites and real therapy that heals—especially for gay men seeking depth, substance, and actual growth.

In this episode, I explore the many ways gay men experience betrayal—in relationships, friendships, family, and professional life—and how we can heal from these wounds with clarity and strength. If betrayal has touched your life, listen in and consider therapy or coaching with me to reclaim your peace of mind and restore trust in yourself and others.

In this episode, Ken explores how gay men can reclaim positive masculinity—balancing strength, emotional intelligence, and authenticity amid today's political and cultural battles. Learn how evolving healthy masculinity empowers gay men personally, professionally, and within our larger society.

Gay men's specialist psychotherapist and coach Ken Howard, LCSW, CST, breaks down Jack Canfield's The Success Principles through a queer lens, showing how its life-changing tools can help gay men overcome internalized shame, build self-worth, and boldly pursue their goals.  Ken shares practical, affirming insights inspired by Canfield's book to help you design the life you truly want.

Therapist Ken Howard, LCSW, CST, explores The White Lotus Season 3's buzzed-about gay incest story line, why taboo fantasies intrigue gay men, and how pop culture stirs both desire and discomfort. A candid look at erotic imagination, psychological nuance, and separating fantasy from reality.

Navigating healthcare as a gay man isn't just about checkups—it's about self-advocacy, access, and fighting systemic bias. In this episode, I break down the clinical, financial, cultural, and emotional barriers that make medical care more challenging for gay men, from dealing with dismissive doctors to securing PrEP, HIV treatment, or mental health support. If you've ever felt frustrated by insurance battles, medical gaslighting, or the stress of getting the care you need, let's talk about how therapy and coaching can help you take back control.  

Too many gay men delay vital legal planning—until it's too late. In this episode, Ken covers key protections like wills, medical directives, and financial security to safeguard your relationship from a psychotherapist's perspective. Learn how to take charge now for a secure and empowered future!

In a society where "pretty privilege" often dictates social dynamics, many gay men confront the challenge of not fitting conventional beauty standards. In this frank episode, Ken delves into embracing one's identity beyond physical appearance, highlighting the power of charm, confidence, and kindness.  Listen in to discover strategies for building emotional resilience and redefining self-worth in a gay world that often prioritizes looks.

Ken discusses the often-overlooked role of therapy in supporting gay men through legal battles. From workplace discrimination to hate crimes, gay men can face legal challenges that demand both legal representation and emotional resilience. Therapy can prepare clients for high-stress situations like depositions and cross-examinations, build psychological stamina for long-term legal fights, and strengthen self-worth in the face of systemic bias. Therapy can be a crucial ally in your fight for fairness, empowerment, and self-advocacy.  

GayTherapyLA Podcast producer, Austen Weinhart, interviews host Ken Howard, LCSW, CST, on the history of Gay Men's Therapy and his own career path over 30 years as a gay men's specialist therapist, coach, sex therapist, author, and activisit. 

This episode discusses the unique challenges gay men face in competitive professional environments. It explores how toxic competition, workplace biases, and generational tensions can undermine professional growth and mental health, and how executive coaching can foster resilience, authenticity, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills. 

Gay men's specialist therapist and life coach Ken Howard, LCSW, CST discusses the new musical movie, "Wicked," and the lessons gay men can learn from its themes, characters, and songs. 

Ken exposes the myths around therapy, life coaching, psychiaty, and medicine, and how to understand and access these services. 

Ken gives tips on how to cope with anxiety over the re-election of Trump and its implications for LGBT+ and gay rights, discussed in an historical context of the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004, and how to critically examine sources of anxiety. 

Ken gives tips when gay men act as caregivers for aging parents, discussing navigating family history, conflicts, work/life balance, emotional ambivalence, cultural issues, and how therapy or coaching can help you get through it. 

In this re-reading of his November 2, 2016 blog article, Ken revisits an analysis of the Modern American Conservative, Republican/Trump Supporters, on the eve of the 2024 election, and how the 2016 warning is a lesson for today. 

Ken discusses gay men and the need for attention; healthy vs. unhealthy narcissism; inclusion and exclusion from gay groups; and practical tips for meeting guys in gay social settings. 

Ken teaches about the TFID (Type, Frequency, Intensity, Duration) model for managing mental health challenges for gay men such as depression, anxiety, and others, with practical exercises to bring symptom relief. 

Ken discusses Netflix's "Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" and its themes of notoriety, abuse, and healing, and applies these in the context of gay male adult sexual trauma and abuse survivors. 

Ken provides education on how gay male relationships (couples or polycules) can establish ground rules agreements for Consensual Non-Monogamy using the Who What When Where Why structure. 

Ken teaches about supporting gay men leaving religion and reclaiming their identity with secular alternatives, free of religious abuse and embracing secular solace or an affirmative tradition that works for them. 

Ken gives tips and "modules" for coping with election anxiety in this 2024 election season, and how to cope with anxiety symptoms, increase self-empowerment, and practice compassionate self-support. 

Ken describes how IFS, Internal Family Systems, a model of evidence-based psychotherapy, can apply to gay men to help you integrate the different parts of you into a cohesive, confident sense of Self. 

Ken gives tips for gay men's dating on what gay men complain about their dates to their therapist or their friends, and what to do about them. 

Ken gives guidance on how gay men in relationships can discuss whether to have kids, and their options for doing so. 

Ken discusses the subtle and insidious ways that religious moralism undermines professional mental health services delivery (psychotherapy) for the broader LGBTQ+ community and more specifically for gay men, and how to counter this. 

Ken reviews the psychological, clinical dynamics of money management, planning aspects of your financial life, and how to talk to the people in your life to reduce financial anxiety and support long-term financial stability. 

Based on his 32 years as a gay men's specialist psychotherapist, sex therapist, and coach, Ken Howard, LCSW, CST gives 21 tips for gay men and how to recover from a breakup. 

Ken gives guidance on gay men and starting your own business, based on his own experience owning a business for over 25 years, and providing career/executive coaching to the Gay Male Solo Entpreneur, a preview of his upcoming e-course. 

Ken gives thirteen tips for gay men on how to be a better lover, based on his thirty-year experience as a gay men's specialist therapist, coach, and sex therapist. 

Gay therapist Ken Howard, LCSW, CST, discusses gay men and wealth: rewards, challenges, how to cope with those challenges, and how to develop a social support network. 

Gay therapist Ken Howard, LCSW, CST gives seven secret tips and recommendations for how gay male couples and polycules can enhance their relationship for both longevity and satisfaction. 

Ken describes the emotional benefits of kink play for gay men, with their implications for daily life and personal self-empowerment. 

Ken describes Gender Role Enforcement Rage: what it is, who is doing it, its harms, and what to do about it. 

Ken takes a Mindfulness look at how gay men can enjoy the Holiday Season with the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 

Ken discusses gay men and "Santa Daddy," gay men's approaches to Santa Claus, inspired by the song, "Santa Baby," and inspiration for the holiday season. 

Ken discusses the most common unconscious barriers gay men have to reaching their full potential from 30 years practicing therapy and coaching for gay men. 

Ken discusses how gay men can reclaim their right to spirituality even after abuse by religious institutions. 

Ken gives tips on how to start each day with a strong mental health to give inspiration and focus to meet our goals as gay men.  (To support the show, visit glow.fm/gaytherapylawithkenhowardlcswcst)

Ken describes the Top 10 reasons gay male couples break up, as observed in over 30 years of practice as a gay specialist therapist, and offers a coping strategy to prevent each one. 

Ken describes his role offering Executive Coaching for gay men and its many purposes and functions. 

Ken reviews the most common complaints and challenges from single gay male clients in dating, and how to adaptively cope with each of them. 

Ken discusses lessons learned in writing his full-length, LGBT-themed musical play, "On the Boulevard," its concept album, and its themes for gay men's self-acceptance. 

Ken gives tips for gay male relationships managing the economics of time, energy, money, convenience, space, control, and sex. 

Gay men's specialist psychotherapist, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, and coach Ken Howard, LCSW, CST provides a self-reflection exercise to know your own sexuality in more depth; your background, hopes, fears, best, and worst experiences to re-empower your sexual self at every phase of life. 

Ken announces that the audio file for "Episode 129: Gay Men and Superheroes as Role Models" has been corrected due to a previous incomplete audio file, and now listeners can enjoy the complete episode.   

(NOTE: This episode was corrected from an earlier recording that was cut off early.) Ken discusses classic superhero characters from comics and movies, who they are, what they mean for gay men, and what we can learn from them. 

Ken discusses traumatic experiences such as child abuse, illness, accidents, crime, and interpersonal betrayals and the long-term coping in life for each of these.