Helping Gay Men Find Love: Tips for Guys on Dating and Beginning a Healthy Relationship

Navigating the complex dating world is difficult, but finding a life partner is particularly challenging for gay men. On the surface alone, the pool of options is significantly smaller, and potential matches can be hard to spot.

But psychology also plays an important role. Growing up as a sexual minority often leads to insecurities and developmental issues particular to gay men, and these create roadblocks when attempting to build a healthy relationship.

Author and psychotherapist Israel Martinez, LCSW, who himself identifies as gay, has helped many LGBT clients work through these obstacles in their efforts to find lasting love. His well-researched, well-tested, and effective techniques begin by addressing self-esteem issues and from there work toward building practical relationship skills. These skills, paired with sincere effort, will markedly increase the chances of finding-and sustaining-a healthy partnership.

A straightforward and helpful guide, Helping Gay Men Find Love builds on itself chapter by chapter, guiding readers through each stage-from the first date to meeting the parents. This book gives gay men a better chance of acquiring what all human beings need: love and companionship.

Israel Martinez, LCSW, holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania as well as a master's degree in social work from Columbia University. Working in mental health clinics in New York City has afforded him the opportunity to work with a large percentage of the city's LGBT population.

Martinez currently owns a group practice that specializes in working with LGBT clients. He wrote Helping Gay Men Find Love as a way to share with a wider audience the professional guidance he provides his clients. A gay-identifying male himself, Martinez also spends time training other professionals to work with LGBT clients in a more ethical and effective way. He has also authored a chapter on working with LGBT couples in Social Workers: Finding Real Solutions for Real Problems.

Martinez lives with his husband in Montclair, New Jersey.