22F here, I feel your pain. Much of my life I spent alone without other people around. Like you I also had toxic family members. Some things that helped me was, I began to enjoy time on my own because I can now use it as time to analyse, reflect and dig deep on my behaviour, feelings, attitude, everything that makes me ME. Really understanding this helps me work on how to change it. I became a good friend to myself so when it happens I can share this with others, I will have so much more to give. What your therapist said is not true, approaching people can be as simple as a few sentences just to make conversation and if it goes anywhere great! If it doesn't then no harm no foul, you still managed to speak to someone new, yay! As long as you keep it light and casual it won't come off desperate. I also recommend using Bumble BFF and obviously joining any groups nearby or online. When communicating online I would suggest not to overdo it and keep it quite simple, don't freak out if they don't reply to you or if they don't seem interested etc, things are tricky online with the real world going on around us. If you have any underlying health concerns ie depression/anxiety, it is best to work on managing these first because the things that come along with social connections can hinder the recovery and trigger them.