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LGBT AFFIRMING COUNSELORS
Professional and Ethical
Counselors are expected
to be ethical.
They are committed to
serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community with
integrity and professionalism. They adhere to codes
of ethical behavior.
Ethical counselors do not consider homosexuality a choice. Nor do they consider it a disorder or a disease. They do not consider their clients sick or confused. They do not consider homosexuality unnatural or immoral. They, in fact, are proud to be allies, advocates, and activists in behalf of the issues and concerns of their LGBT students and clients.
Ethical counselors provide professional and compassionate advising, therapy, consultation, and counseling to LGBT students and clients in a manner that is respectful, affirming, supportive, and non-judgmental.
Ethical counselors assist their students and clients in the coming-out process. They want their students and clients to know that they are accepted for who they are. They can be themselves. They do not need to hide who they are. They do not need to guard their speech. They can be open about themselves and speak freely about aspects of their lives.
Ethical counselors avoid attitudes and behavior that are oppressive to LGBT persons, including homophobia and heterosexism. They are informed professionals. Their perspectives on LGBT issues are based on solid medical, psychological, sociological, therapeutic, and scientific research.
Ethical counselors are proud to label themselves as LGBT-friendly or LGBT-affirming. They would like for their clients and prospective clients to know that they will be treated with respect.
LINKS:
PFLAG:
Counseling LGBT Youth
ALGBTIC:
Competencies for Counseling LGBT Clients
Counseling Today Article: No
More Sitting on the Sidelines
High Beam
Research: Attitudes of Counseling Students to Lesbians & Gays
Counseling Today: Connecting With Clients of Faith
Counselors for Social Justice: Statement on Sexism & Heterosexism
Adapting Counseling Skills for Multicultural & Diverse Clients
NO PLACE FOR HATE
Unethical & Unjust Counseling Practices
Dr. Michael Chaney is the current (2010-11) national President of ALGBTIC. His current message to members of the counseling profession is: "There Is No Place for Hate in A Counseling Space."
In his presidential message on the ALGBTIC website, Michael Chaney (who uses the term "queer" to mean "lgbtq") focuses on "social justice issues and advocacy strategies centered on queer communities."
He goes on to say: "Over the next year, I will be putting in the spotlight some of the unethical and unjust practices currently taking place in the field of counseling such as sexual orientation change efforts and other anti-queer counseling movements. Furthermore, I will focus on bringing queer-affirmative counseling issues to the forefront."
In citing projects he intends to launch, Michael Chaney stated: "On behalf of our queer communities, an Anti-LGBT Counseling Task Force is being formed that will have several responsibilities over the next year including educating ACA members and non-members about social injustices against queer clients/students (sexual orientation change efforts and other reparative therapies), examining the current ethical codes and proposing changes to ACA Ethics Committee, and organizing events/discussions related to queer-affirmative counseling."
LINKS:
ALGBTIC Website
Counseling Today Article: No
More Sitting on the Sidelines
Research: Homonegitivity Among Alabama
Counselors
ACA: Ethical Issues Related to Conversion Therapy
News: Grad Student Sues Counselor
Education Program Over LGBT Views
Ethical Counseling: You Can Be Yourself With
Me
Ethical Considerations
Conversation Therapy or Reparative Therapy
COUNSELING LGBT CLIENTS
Knowledgable, Comfortable, Ethical
Before beginning any treatment with an LGBT client, a therapist has the responsibility of making sure he or she is well versed on issues related to sexuality, has the skills necessary to create a positive and nonjudgmental environment, and will not feel uncomfortable discussing issues related to homosexuality. If a therapist believes homosexuality is wrong, sinful, immoral, or a mental illness, he or she should NOT work with gay clients. Refer this client to someone who is able to provide the necessary components of a therapeutic relationship.
LINKS:
APA: Handbook of
Counseling & Psychotherapy with LGBT Clients
Eye on Religion:
Counseling Students Can't Be Bigots
Gay 365: Judge Rules Against Anti-Gay Counseling Student
Gay 365: Judge Rules Against Another Anti-Gay Counseling Student
GENERAL TREATMENT
Counseling LGBT Clients
Treatment for LGBT clients should be no
different than any other client. In terms of mood disorders, anxiety
disorders, relationship concerns, stress, and sexual issues, homosexual
clients present at about the same rate as their counterparts and
treatment should not be any different. Research has, however, shown that
depression is significantly higher among gay adolescents and that the
suicide rate is double their straight counterpart. Suicidal ideation,
depression, and anxiety are also higher among those who have not
accepted their sexuality or who struggle for acceptance with friends and
family because of their sexual orientation.
Couples therapy should be treated no different than marital therapy,
aside from the obvious legal and social issues. Any bias a therapist has
will be very difficult to hide when dealing with relationship issues
with a gay or lesbian client. Their relationships should be treated with
the same legitimacy as any committed relationship, and the therapist
should be aware that like any sexual relationship, their may be intimacy
concerns, fidelity issues, children, parents, and other issues that may
be a part of treatment. Be prepared for this and once again, refer out
if you are not able to accept and respect your client.
UNDERSTANDING LGBT CLIENTS
Stages of Acceptance
When working with gays and lesbians, it is
often important to know where your client is in terms of acceptance. If
sexuality is a presenting issue, understanding the stages is even more
important. Cass (1979) lists six stages that many homosexuals go through
when dealing with their own sexual orientation. These stages have been
widely accepted by professionals and gay men and women alike. They
include:
(1) Identity Awareness. The point when the child or adolescent begins to
realize he or she has feelings that are different from others and
different from what they have been taught.
(2) Identity Comparison. The individual
begins to explore his or her feelings alone and to compare them to the
beliefs of society, parents, and peers.
(3) Identity Tolerance. During this stage,
the individual will often rebel against his or her feelings and attempt
to deny them. After all, nobody wants to be gay in a straight world.
(4) Identity Acceptance. After realizing
that sexuality is a part of who they are, they begin to embrace it,
explore their feelings and desires, and start to find a place in the
world where they are accepted and belong.
(5) Identity Pride. Often involves anger
toward parents, society, religion, or other aspects of the world that
tells them that they are bad, wrong, immoral, or mentally ill merely
because their feelings are directed toward the same sex. They embrace
the ‘homosexual lifestyle’ and explore their newfound sexuality. It is
during this stage that the gay or lesbian may start fighting against
what society has taught them.
(6) Identity Synthesis. The final stage in
which homosexuality becomes a part of who they are rather than the
defining factor. Instead of being a gay man or lesbian, they begin to
see themselves as parents, employees, leaders, teachers, supervisors,
coaches, and volunteers who just happen to be gay. In the final stage,
they are able to accept themselves more wholly rather than seeing their
sexuality as separate from the rest of who they are.
IMPORTANT DECLARATIONS
Official Statements
About Reparative Therapy
The American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychological Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and others have denounced conversion, reparative, or reorientation therapy due to the high incidences of negative outcomes and very low and even questionable success rates.
"Confusion about sexual orientation is not
unusual during adolescence. Therapy directed at specifically changing
sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and
anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in
orientation."
- American Academy of Pediatrics
"For nearly three decades, it has been known that homosexuality is not a
mental illness. Medical and mental health professionals also now know
that sexual orientation is not a choice and cannot be altered. Groups
who try to change the sexual orientation of people through so-called
conversion therapy are misguided and run the risk of causing a great
deal of psychological harm to those they say they are trying to help."
-American Psychological Association
"Clinical experience suggests that any person who seeks conversion
therapy may be doing so because of social bias that has resulted in
internalized homophobia, and that gay men and lesbians who have accepted
their sexual orientation positively are better adjusted than those who
have not done so."
- American Psychiatric Association
COUNSELORS FOR SOCIAL
JUSTICE
Sexism & Heterosexism
Research indicates the development of a healthy sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is an important aspect of human development and subsequent mental health. In addition, the use of reparative therapy and transformational ministries as a part of counseling is also problematic. Using counseling as a tool to repress a person’s sexual orientation and using religion to promote certain sexualities and gender identities is unethical and potentially damaging to the mental health of the client.
The growing body of research indicating the harmful effects of sexism
and heterosexism on human development and mental health signals their
relevance to counselors, and is a call to action to the counseling
profession. Heterosexist stereotypes can impose physiological and
psychological burdens on sexual minorities of all ages and ethnic
backgrounds. As social change agents, counselors would do well to adopt
proactive measures that combat the harmful effects of sexism and
heterosexism in
society.
RELIGIOUS ISSUES
Counseling LGBT Clients
Few issues tend to spark as much debate in religious circles as matters of sexual identity. Perhaps for that reason, says Michael Kocet, president of the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Counseling, many people -- including some counselors -- assume that the LGBT community as a whole dismisses the need for religion. That assumption is dangerously false, says Kocet, who has chosen "Finding the Spirit Within: Celebrating the Diversity of Spirit in the LGBTQ Community" as the theme of his presidency.
"In my opinion, religion should be a place of affirmation for people to be in touch with their spirituality," he says. "LGBT individuals often want to stay connected to their religious tradition, but they don't always feel welcome or safe. They sometimes feel alienated in their place of worship and experience homoprejudice. Sometimes, religious institutions hurt the self-worth of LGBT clients."
Some LGBT clients feel so ostracized that they leave their religion altogether or search for another religious community that is more accepting and affirming, Kocet says. "Counselors have an ability to help these clients find their own path and can point them to groups where they can integrate their two identities," he says.
At the same time, Kocet emphasizes, the client must be the one who makes the decision to explore that path of action -- not the counselor. "Some clients may be open to exploring other faith traditions than the one in which they were raised," he says, "but counselors also have to be affirming of client autonomy if they want to stay where they are. If their faith is important to them, it would be unethical for the counselor to coerce the client to choose a different religion."
ACA member Robert Brammer says LGBT clients sometimes get the sense that counselors view their religious identity as being less important than their sexual identity. "One of the problems I see is that some counselors assume LGBT clients should just abandon their religion. They don't always understand how fundamental that religious belief is to these clients," says Brammer, who recently wrote an article exploring ways to help gays and lesbians integrate their spiritual beliefs with their sexual orientation for the Journal of GLBT Family Studies. "It's probably more important as counselors to help them reconcile the dissonance they may be feeling and encourage them to seek religious guidance in addition to psychological help."
(Jonathan Rollins / Counseling Today)
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