Affirming Care with a Non-Binary Therapist in Riverside

You deserve a therapist who sees all of who you are. At Raincross Family Counseling, non-binary, transgender, and LGBTQ+ clients can work with a therapist who understands gender beyond the binary, in person in Riverside or through secure telehealth across California.

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Why Working with a Non-Binary Therapist Can Matter

For many non-binary people, starting therapy has meant spending early sessions explaining pronouns, correcting assumptions, or teaching the person who is supposed to be helping.

That work is tiring, and it can push the reason you came in further down the list. With a therapist who understands non-binary identity from lived experience, your gender is understood from the very first session, and your time goes to the things you came to work on.

That understanding matters. Psychologists use the term minority stress to describe the extra strain that comes from stigma, misgendering, rejection, and staying on guard in everyday spaces. Research ties this stress, rather than gender identity itself, to higher rates of anxiety and depression among transgender and non-binary people. In The Trevor Project's 2024 national survey of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people, 71% of transgender and nonbinary respondents reported recent symptoms of anxiety and 59% reported recent symptoms of depression. Half of the LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were unable to get it.

Being non-binary is one of the many ways people understand and experience their gender, and it is a healthy, valid part of who you are. Affirming therapy centers on what you want support with, whether that is your identity, your relationships, your stress, or something else entirely.

Raincross is rooted in Riverside, from the Mission Inn to the trails of Mount Rubidoux, and we believe everyone should be able to find care that fits right in their own community. We see clients in person in Riverside and online throughout California.

Meet Sunni Meador, MSW, ASW (they/them)

Sunni Meador is a non-binary Associate Clinical Social Worker who works with adolescents, Transitional Age Youth (TAY), young adults, adults, and LGBTQ+ clients. They support people navigating identity development, anxiety, depression, life transitions, trauma, and the work of building resilience, all in an affirming, client-centered space.

Sunni draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and AFFIRM Youth, a CBT-informed intervention developed specifically for LGBTQ+ young people. They are also expanding their skills through training in EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Before joining Raincross, Sunni spent more than ten years in the nonprofit sector providing HIV, housing, and mental health services, followed by three years of psychotherapy in private practice.

Sunni Meador is a Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW #109231) supervised by Kaitlyn Harrison, LMFT #123775, LPCC #10535.

Read Sunni's Full Bio

"I believe healing happens through connection. When people learn they can be fully themselves without judgment, they create space for growth, resilience, and lasting change."

Sunni Meador, MSW, ASW

Support for Non-Binary, Transgender, and LGBTQ+ Clients

Some people come to therapy to talk about gender. Others come for anxiety, grief, or a hard season at work and want a therapist who understands who they are from the start. Both are welcome here. Sunni can support you with:

  • Exploring and affirming your gender identity at your own pace

  • Questioning your identity, with room to explore wherever it leads

  • Coming out to family, friends, partners, or coworkers

  • Anxiety, depression, and self-esteem

  • Coping with misgendering, discrimination, and minority stress

  • Trauma and PTSD

  • Life transitions, including school, work, relationships, and social or medical transition

  • Strengthening connection with family members

  • Finding community and building a support network

Families are part of this work too. If you are a parent or caregiver who wants to support your LGBTQ+ or gender-expansive child, our family therapy team can help you learn, ask questions, and stay connected through the process. Adults looking for one-on-one support can also explore individual therapy.

What Affirming Therapy Looks Like at Raincross

Affirming care shows up in the details of every session. Here is what you can expect when you work with us.

1. Your Name and Pronouns Come First

We ask for the name and pronouns you use, and we use them in session, in our messages, and when we refer to you with our team.

2. Your Identity Is Welcomed as It Is

We affirm every client's gender identity and sexual orientation, in line with the American Psychological Association's support for affirming care. Therapy is a place to understand yourself more fully, on your own terms.

3. Care Built Around Your Goals

Therapy starts with what you want to change. Together, you and your therapist set goals that fit your values, and you can revisit them anytime.

4. Evidence-Based Tools

Approaches like CBT, DBT, and AFFIRM Youth offer practical skills for managing stress, regulating emotions, and responding to hard moments, adapted to the realities LGBTQ+ people face.

5. Room for Your Whole Story

Gender is one part of you. Culture, faith, family, relationships, work, and history all shape your experience, and every part is welcome in the room.

6. Flexible Ways to Meet

Choose in-person sessions in Riverside or secure telehealth from anywhere in California, whichever feels safest and most comfortable for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Non-binary describes a gender identity beyond the categories of man and woman alone. Some non-binary people experience their gender as a blend of both, as neither, or as something that shifts over time. Non-binary (also written nonbinary) is also used as an umbrella term. Some non-binary people also identify as transgender, and some do not. Each person's understanding of their identity is their own.

  • Sunni welcomes clients of every identity: LGBTQ+ clients, people who are questioning, and clients outside the LGBTQ+ community. What matters most is that you feel understood and that the fit feels right.

  • Yes. Sunni works with adolescents and Transitional Age Youth. Our team can walk you through how consent works for minors in California and what involving a parent or guardian can look like.

  • That is completely okay. Many people come to therapy while questioning. Your therapist will follow your pace and give you room to explore with curiosity and safety, wherever that leads.

  • Yes. Raincross offers secure telehealth for clients located in California, as well as in-person sessions at our Riverside office.

  • Coverage depends on your plan and your therapist's credentials. Contact us and we will check your benefits and talk through fees, insurance, and sliding scale availability. You can also visit our Fees and Insurance.

  • Call or text (951) 977-3638, email raincrossfc@gmail.com, or complete our appointment request form. Let us know you would like to work with Sunni, and our team will reach out to schedule your first session.

You Belong Here

Taking the first step can feel vulnerable. We are here to meet you with respect, warmth, and care that honors exactly who you are.

Request An Appointment With Sunni

If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. LGBTQ+ young people can reach The Trevor Project 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 or by texting START to 678-678. Trans Lifeline offers peer support at (877) 565-8860. In an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.