It Gets Better (excerpt)

Matt Valentine-Chase — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:10:08 -0400

Soft days welcome me

Deep, deep in the snow of my mind

Entrenched, trapped: helpless.

Promises of freedom whisper to me

‘It gets better’.

Lost in oblivion, decay

The corpse of my emotions skeletal

No day of the dead can resurrect me

But this voice is persistent:

‘It gets better’.

Rocking, rolling, head banging... read more on My Blog.

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Sex Work: A Valued Profession? (Excerpt)

Matt Valentine-Chase — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:30:20 -0400

Being Seen Is Vital For Healing

“I’ve seen EIGHT therapists before you! You’ve got my situation in five minutes; they didn’t get it in months or years.”

This is a common response I hear when I start working with sex workers. I’m a therapist. People come to see me for many reasons: anxiety, depression, mid-life crises, or career development. Some clients just want to stay on top of their mental health.

The last thing they need when they are feeling like shit is to be judged for the job they do.

The Danger of Pathologizing

Why is sex work a stigmatized profession? I don’t know. I mean, I can’t get my head around why so many therapists “pathologize” the job their clients work in. Pathologizing is a dangerous road; it means the therapist automatically assumes that sex work is:

Inherently harmful
Illegal
Forced or coerced
Not a choice
A symptom of poor mental health

Here’s the thing: sex work is related to poor mental health. But so is being LGBTQAI+.

Most therapists, medical practitioners, and support workers assume that any sex worker experiencing mental health challenges is struggling because they are a sex worker.

No. They are experiencing these challenges — and are more likely to experience them than those in other industries — because of the stigma of the job. They face higher rates of mental health problems for the same reasons LGBTQAI+ people do: prejudice, judgment, and an increased risk of violence.

Internalized Whorephobia

Therapists are unlikely to say to an LGBTQAI+ client... read more on Medium.

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Matt Valentine-Chase | Updates

It Gets Better (excerpt)

Sex Work: A Valued Profession? (Excerpt)