Gender & Sexuality · Affirming Care

Chosen Family & Support Map

Where affirmation already lives

TherapistAssist

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Support isn't only the family you were born into. Chosen family — friends, partners, mentors, community, online spaces — can carry real weight. This map shows where affirmation already lives in your life, where the gaps are, and one place to build.

People who know the real me and respond with warmth (my inner circle)

People who know parts of me and are safe for those parts

People I'm not out to — and whether that's my choice or my protection

Places and spaces where I can fully relax (homes, groups, online communities)

Places where I edit myself — and what that costs me

What my family of origin gives me — and what I have to get elsewhere

Moments I've felt genuinely celebrated for who I am — who was there?

How supported do I feel overall right now? (0 = alone, 10 = held)

none

most

The biggest gap in my support map

One person or community I could move closer to this month — and one small step

One ask I could practice making of someone safe (a call, a visit, using my name or pronouns)

Option One

Get the Chosen Family & Support Map

Print-ready PDF. Instant download — no account needed. We email you a copy too.

Option Two

Or send it to your client

Every worksheet, plus 80 interactive tools your client opens on their phone. No app. No login.

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About this worksheet

Support is a concrete resource, and like any resource it can be mapped. This worksheet asks who knows the real you and responds with warmth, who knows parts of you safely, and who you're not out to — with an explicit distinction between choosing privacy and needing protection. It then maps places: where the client can fully relax, and where they edit themselves at a cost. For clients with unsupportive families of origin, the sheet names what family gives and what has to come from elsewhere — without demanding either grief or reconciliation on a schedule. It closes with two behavioral moves: one person or community to move closer to this month, and one ask to practice making of someone safe. Grounded in Family Acceptance Project research showing that accepting and rejecting behaviors — not sentiment — drive outcomes for LGBTQ+ people.

When to use it

LGBTQ+ clients with unsupportive or rejecting families of origin.
Clients who are isolated after coming out, transitioning, or relocating.
Clients rebuilding community after leaving a faith group or unsupportive relationship.
Any client whose support map is thin — the sheet isn't LGBTQ+-specific in structure.

How to use it

1
Map before problem-solving
Clients often discover more support than they expected — or name a gap they've been carrying silently.
2
Honor the 'not out to' column
Choosing privacy and needing protection are different; the sheet separates them so the work can too.
3
Count online community as real
For many clients, especially in rural areas, online spaces are the first affirming contact. Put them on the map.
4
End with one step and one ask
Both are behavioral and small. The ask builds the skill of receiving support, not just finding it.

Frequently asked questions

What if a client has no one for the inner circle?+

That's clinical information, not a worksheet failure. An empty inner circle points the work toward building one connection — a group, a community space, a peer — before anything else.

Does this replace family therapy?+

No. When family repair is possible and wanted, the LGBTQ+ Family Support Worksheet is the tool. This map is for the client's whole support picture, family included or not.

Is this only for LGBTQ+ clients?+

It's designed with LGBTQ+ clients in mind, but the structure fits anyone whose family of origin can't provide what they need — estrangement, recovery, religious exit, disability.

Is this worksheet free?+

Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to TherapistAssist to send as a secure client link.