Polari Psychotherapy is an LGBTQ+-affirming, trauma-informed therapy practice in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, led by Nicholas J. Makris, MS, LMHC (FL License #MH27478). The practice offers depth-oriented individual and couples therapy for LGBTQ+ adults — with a clinical focus on gay men, trans and gender-diverse people, CNM and kink-affirming clients, high-functioning depression, complex trauma, and late coming out. Gender-affirming assessment letters are available without gatekeeping. Early morning, evening, and weekend appointments available. In-person in Fort Lauderdale; telehealth statewide across Florida, including Wilton Manors, Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Naples, Tallahassee, and Vero Beach.
In-person | Fort Lauderdale, FL • Telehealth | Statewide FL • Insurance Accepted • Early Morning, Evening, & Weekend Availability • Sliding Scale Fees Available
You have the life.
You have the community.
So why does it still feel this empty?
Helping you get underneath what you've been carrying — so you can finally feel like yourself again.
Insurance Accepted • Evening & Weekend Availability • Sliding Scale Fees
WHO THIS IS FOR
High functioning on the outside.
Something quieter happening underneath.
You show up. You get through it. Most people around you have no idea. But underneath, there's something that you’ve been holding in for a long time — a disconnection from yourself, from the people around you, from the community you thought would feel like home.
Maybe you've been trying to seek connection without actually feeling connected. Maybe you've been carrying something for years that you’ve never felt safe to say out loud. Maybe you've had negative experiences with previous therapists that made you stop reaching out.
That disconnection looks different for everyone. Sometimes it's feeling lonely in rooms full of people. Sometimes it's anxiety or feeling on edge that you've learned to function around. Sometimes it's depression that's been minimized for years.
Sometimes it's trauma that was never named as trauma. And sometimes it's simply the weight of never having felt fully safe with someone to say any of it out loud.
GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE
Assessment letters.
Without the gatekeeping.
In most of Florida, finding a trans-competent provider who offers gender-affirming letters is becoming harder and harder nowadays.
Nicholas Makris specializes in gender-affirming assessment letters for surgical clearance, gender-affirming hormone therapy, name changes, and legal documents — without making you prove what you already know about yourself. Clients across the state find this practice specifically because affirming providers are still concentrated in a handful of cities. Telehealth means geography is no longer one more barrier.
MY APPROACH
I'm not here to tell you what to do.
I’m here to help you dive deeper.
CLINICAL FRAMEWORK
A lot of my clients come in self-aware. Yet, they feel stuck and/or disconnected from themselves and others around them. What they haven't had is a safe space to process what they’ve been holding in for a while. And many have tried therapists in the past that they didn’t feel like they could open up to.
I utilize an integrative approach that is personalized to you. My framework is grounded in psychodynamic theory, trauma-informed care, ACT, CBT, and DBT skills depending on what you bring into the room. I meet you where you’re at and help you get where you are trying to go. And that process requires vulnerability and work on your end.
From the first time you reach out, I make this process as transparent and straightforward as possible. I know the barriers that exist before someone gets to a first session. Nothing about working with me should leave you guessing. I lay it all on the table at the beginning so that you can know immediately what to expect working together.
🧠 Trauma-Informed Care
🧠 Psychodynamic Theory
🧠 Humanistic Principles
🧠 Existential Psychology
🧠 Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
🧠 Gender-Affirming & Trans-Competent Care
🧠 Client-Centered Approach
🧠 Consensual Non-Monogamy & Kink-Affirming
🧠 Affirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (A-CBT)
🧠 Gottman Level I Couples Trained
🧠 Relational Life Level I Couples Trained
BACKGROUND
This work wasn’t an accident.
It was intentional.
My name is Nicholas Makris, and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida. From the beginning of my clinical career, I was intentional in my training and therapeutic approach. I made a conscious choice to center my training, my research, and my clinical experience related to the LGBTQ+ experience. This isn’t something that I fell into — this is something I built my experience and training around.
That work has taken me to the front lines — including years at one of South Florida's longest-established and most respected LGBTQ+ behavioral health nonprofits — and to the conference room, where I've presented on LGBTQ+ social isolation and loneliness at an international level and have presented on gender-affirming care at a nationally recognized medical conference for LGBTQ+ health.
I built this practice because affirming, depth-oriented care is still genuinely hard to find — and because the people who need it most have already spent years navigating systems that made them work too hard just to be believed. You shouldn't have to do that here. I exist so that LGBTQ+ adults have a safe, competent place to show up authentically as themselves. Without explaining. So that you can talk about the things that really matter — especially in the current anti-LGBTQ+ climate.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Florida License #MH27478
Master of Science in Clinical Psychology
Barry University
AFFIRM Pro Consultant & Coach
One of the first nationally
OutSFL Out & Proud 2025 Honoree
“The Clinician”
International Conference Presenter
LGBTQ+ Social Isolation & Loneliness
GLMA Conference Presenter
Gender-Affirming Assessment Letters
Gottman Level I Couples Trained
Gottman Institute
Relational Life Therapy Level I Trained
Relational Life Institute
CREDENTIALS
FREE 15-MINUTE CONSULT
Before you commit to anything, let’s talk first.
You don't have to have it figured out before you reach out. I offer a free 15-minute consultation — no commitment, no paperwork. Just a real conversation about what’s going on and a chance to see if we’d be a good fit. If I don't think I can help you, I'll tell you — and I'll connect you with someone who can. That's where we start.
Nicholas Makris, MS, LMHC
Clinical Psychotherapist
Serving clients across Florida.
Telehealth statewide — including areas where affirming care is genuinely hard to find.
Fort Lauderdale
33301 · 33304 · 33305 · 33306
Wilton Manors
33305 · 33334
Miami · Wynwood · Brickell
33130 · 33132 · 33137 · 33139
West Palm Beach
33401 · 33405 · 33480
Sarasota
34228 · 34236 · 34239
Jacksonville
32204 · 32207 · 32256
Naples
34102 · 34103 · 34108
Vero Beach · Tallahassee
32963 · 32312 · 32309
Areas of specialization.
Gender-Affirming Assessment Letters — Florida
For surgical clearance, hormone therapy, name changes, and legal documents. Without gatekeeping, without making you earn it.
Kink-Affirming Therapy in Florida
Affirming care for clients navigating kink, BDSM, and alternative relationship dynamics — as a baseline, not a specialty add-on.
Therapy for Older LGBTQ+ Adults
For LGBTQ+ adults navigating later-life identity, generational trauma, and the unique experience of aging in a community built around youth.
CNM & Polyamory Affirming Therapy
For clients in consensually non-monogamous or polyamorous relationships navigating identity, jealousy, communication, and belonging.
LGBTQ+ Grief & Loss Therapy in Florida
For complicated grief, AIDS crisis loss, chosen family loss, and the things you were never given space to mourn.
LGBTQ+ Couples Therapy in Florida
For LGBTQ+ couples navigating communication, intimacy, identity shifts, and the dynamics that bring two people into a room together.
High-Functioning Depression Therapy
For people who appear fine on the outside. Depression that's been minimized, unnamed, or carried alone for longer than it should have been.
Trans-Affirming Therapy in Florida
For trans and gender-diverse adults navigating a hostile system — not because your identity is in question, but because the barriers to your care shouldn't be this high.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy in Florida
Depth-oriented, affirming care for LGBTQ+ adults navigating identity, disconnection, and everything in between.
Gay Men's Therapy — Identity & Disconnection
For gay men navigating loneliness inside community, coming out later in life, and the gap between a full life and actually feeling it.
FAQs
Questions you might already have.
Check out the full frequently asked questions here→
Does Polari Psychotherapy only work with LGBTQ+ clients?
No. The practice is LGBTQ+-centered and that's where my training and clinical focus lives. If I don't think I'd be a good fit for what you're looking for, I'll tell you — and I'll help connect you with someone who is.
What makes Polari Psychotherapy different from other therapists?
One difficult experience in healthcare has a way of shaping how we approach all of it — mental health care included. From the first contact, I try to be transparent enough that you're not left wondering how this works, what I will and won't do, or what to expect. You'll know before we start.
Does Nicholas Makris write gender-affirming letters in Florida?
Yes. For surgical clearance, hormone therapy, name changes, and legal documents — without unnecessary barriers or hoops to clear first.
How do I know if I need therapy?
High functioning doesn't mean fine. A lot of the people I work with are getting through the day without anyone around them knowing something's off. What we work on is what's underneath that — and how long it's been there.
Does Polari Psychotherapy accept insurance?
Yes, through Headway — Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, Carelon, and Quest. For private pay clients, there's no insurance involvement in your care, no authorizations, and direct access to book. Sliding scale is available.
Is this practice CNM and kink-affirming?
Yes. Consensual non-monogamy and kink are part of the practice's scope — not a specialty add-on, but a baseline expectation of affirming care.
Testimonials
What Therapy Here Looks Like
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Nicholas is an extremely knowledgeable and compassionate clinician. He is very well versed in affirmative care practices and ensuring clients feel safe in navigating their identity. I highly recommend Nicholas to any clients I am unable to connect with.”
– Rebecca Johnson, MS
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Nicholas exudes a warmth and calmness that makes you exhale in relief, knowing you're in the right hands. He has extensive expertise in LGBTQ+ care, specifically in gender-affirming care. I highly recommend Nicholas as an affirming therapist!”
– Dr. Ryan Papciak, PhD
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Nicholas Makris is an amazing therapist and highly skilled clinician. He provides compassionate, affirming care for LGBTQ+ individuals and specializes in gender-affirming therapy. I highly recommend him for anyone seeking support with personal growth.”
– Justin Gladney, MSW
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Nicholas creates a truly affirming, safe space to explore who you are, without judgment. If you're looking for a therapist who makes you feel welcomed and understood from the very first session, you'd be lucky to work with him.”
– Morgan Pierce, MS