Beyond the diagnosis
Therapy for gay men living with cancer and serious illness.
San Diego office and online in California
You don't have to have the words for it.
You may still be taking it in — or wondering how much longer you can keep carrying it.
The appointments that never quite feel finished. The moments your mind goes further than you meant it to. The pressure to stay strong for everyone else while something quieter goes unsettled inside.
None of that means something is wrong with you. It means something significant is happening, and it deserves attention.
Wherever you are in this, there's a place to begin.
Living With Illness
If you're the one living with it
Cancer, heart disease, dementia, a new diagnosis, or a condition you've managed for years — support for the whole of what you're carrying, not just the medical part.
Living With HIV
Long-term survival, aging with HIV, serostatus, and intimacy — the particular weight your generation carries, understood without having to explain it.
For Partners
If you're the one beside him —
When the man you love is ill, it changes things for you, too. A place to be honest about the strain, and to stay connected through it.
A Different Kind of Therapy
This is a small, private, depth-oriented practice. Not quick fixes, but thoughtful work that meets the real complexity of what you're going through — with a therapist who understands both serious illness and the realities of being a gay man.
I'm Bob Basque, LCSW
I came of age during the AIDS crisis, and I learned about illness and death at an age when most people are only beginning to think about their lives. Therapy is what gave me somewhere solid to stand. It's why I became a psychotherapist, and why I do this work here, in my own community.
You don’t have to have the right words.
You don’t have to be “ready.”
If something in you knows you don’t want to go through this alone, that’s enough.
What Bob's fellow therapists say about him…
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“Clients sing Bob's praises; he is direct, empathetic, and knows his stuff!”
—Judy, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
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“Bob creates a safe and nurturing therapeutic environment with his wonderful blend of empathy, insight, and professionalism. You're in great hands!”
—Rusty, Family Therapist
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“Bob is a brilliant therapist. He understands the clients’ experience well. Bob’s talents for facilitating solid therapeutic relationships with clients are nothing short of exceptional.”
—David, Psychotherapist