This Calls for a Celebration

Lacey Bagley - Owner/Clinical Director

This is the place. Utah has been known for the best snow on earth, amazing national parks, a flourishing culinary scene, real housewives, a stellar economy, low unemployment, the list goes on. But did you know Utah also has a higher suicide rate than the national average?  On top of that LGBTQ+ adults are two times more likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual adults. For LGBTQ+ youth the risk is even higher. 

With a largely conservative culture, where can people go for love and support while navigating their personal journeys with their identity? Where can families go for resources on how best to support their loved ones? Enter Celebrate Therapy. We interviewed
Owner/Clinical Director Lacey Bagley to share with all of you this gem of a resource to our Utah community. Find out more about our June Business of the Month below.

​UMLF:  Can you tell us about yourself and the team behind Celebrate Therapy? 
Lacey: "Hi, I'm Lacey Bagley and my pronouns are she/her. I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Utah and I'm the Owner/Clinical Director of Celebrate Therapy. Celebrate is comprised of a team of queer clinicians and together we provide LGBTQIA+ affirming mental health services to the queer community all across Utah! I grew up in northern Minnesota and bring a lot of the northland into my therapy practice by creating a safe, nurturing environment for queer people to grow and learn to celebrate their unique identities."

UMLF: For those who are new to the concept, tell us about Queer Therapy and why it’s so essential to our Utah community?
Lacey: "Celebrate Therapy is the very first clinic in Provo and the surrounding area that is owned and run by a team of queer clinicians. First and foremorest, we work to support clients in becoming confident and supported in their own queer identities. We also work alongside family members who are learning how to create, strengthen, and promote support for their queer loved ones. We hope to lead a transformational change in Utah County and beyond! Our goal is to help client's and family members nurture and grow their authenticity, in whatever way they need to. To the queer community: you, your loves, and your family are important to us and we promise to courageously advocate for you and the larger queer community in Utah County."

UMLF:  Who could best benefit from your different therapeutic services?
Lacey: "We provide therapy services to anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as their family members. Many of us are trained family therapists, so we enjoy working with family systems. Overall, we provide therapy to entire families, parent-child dyads, couples and/or polyamorous networks."

UMLF: Do you do telehealth as well as in person?
Lacey "We provide both telehealth and in-person services. You can find out more at our website, www.celebratetherapy.org and online at our social media accounts at @celebratetherapy."

UMLF: Can you tell our readers about additional resources and services that you provide? And community partners you recommend?
Lacey: "Other resources we offer include group therapy and political advocacy work in the community. We are excited to celebrate June as Pride month and will have a booth in SLC this upcoming weekend at Utah Pride Center's Pride Festival. Please stop by and say hi! As far as the larger community goes, we work closely with community partners like LGBTQ.UT, Encircle Therapy, and Flourish Therapy. For BYU students, we partner and are involved with affirming organizations like USGA, The RaYnbow Collective, and Cougar Pride Center. And for UVU students, we endorse Spectrum as a community of support and celebration!"

UMLF: How can allies best support our queer community during Pride month and beyond? 
Lacey: "To affirm LGBTQIA+ members, you can practice sharing your own pronouns during introductions as well asking others for theirs until it becomes a habit. Together, we can strive to create safe havens in our community where the freedom to express queer identities thrives, and where individual rights and needs feel advocated for. Finding, supporting, and promoting small businesses owned and operated by LGBTQIA+ members is another great way to support the community every day."
  
UMLF: How do you feel like the UMLF has helped your business grow?
Lacey: "We used the UMLF to consolidate startup fees which has given us the foundation from which we’re able to thrive and grow from. We plan to continue working together to empower LGBTQIA+ mental health providers to start their own clinics across the state of Utah."


Thank you Lacey and your team for the amazing work you do! ❤️

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