Working with the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered therapy patient - Research Paper Example

?Running head: Counseling lesbians and gays Working as a counselor with Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexuals, and Transgendered submission) Working as a counselor with Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexuals, and Transgendered Introduction There are various challenges which therapists face in relation to individual qualities of their patients. These challenges often end up impacting on the actual effectiveness of the therapeutic sessions. It is therefore important for counselors to find out as much information about his patients as possible. In working with lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered clients, this is not much different. The most information which can ensure effectiveness during therapy must be established. This paper shall discuss how counselors can effectively work with lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) clients. It shall synthesize research about the population and present the most important information about working with them. This study is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the LGBT and to ensure effectiveness of the counseling process. Discussion Gays and lesbian and other transgendered individuals often feel isolated from the rest of the world (Callahan, 2001). For the most part, they also have a poor self-image which often prompts them to hide their sexual orientation from the rest of society. They also try to fit into society by trying out conventional and accepted activities and actions for their gender (Callahan, 2001). For counselors working with teen LGBT, they must gather as much information as they can about homosexuality. Many counselors and educators have had training about issues which refer to the special concerns of youth, however few actually have adequate training in counseling LGBT teens and students. In an evaluation of school counselors, they expressed the need for them to be more proactive and educated in relation to this special population (Callahan, 2001). They actually feel that they are ill-equipped to deal with these students’ issues and they need to do more in order to safeguard the welfare of the teen students. These counselors mostly feel that their limited understanding of homosexuality would limit their effectiveness in working with gay students. In effect, some experts have expressed the need for counselors to gather up-to-date information about their gay students through a human sexuality course (Callahan, 2001). Such course may assist counselors in recognizing their possible roles involving their suicidal gay students and those going through similar mental breakdowns in relation to their sexuality. In working with LGBTs, it is also important for counselors to be their patients’ advocates, especially in the schools and the communities. Through this advocacy, it is possible to open up the lines of communication between the other students and the gay community – to help incorporate these individuals into mainstream society (Callahan, 2001). Counselors must also try their best to support and protect this sexual minority by creating a safe environment in which these students can enter. By making it safe for them to seek counseling, it is possible to increase the number of LGBTs seeking counseling and eventually help safeguard their mental health. In a study by Bartlett, et.al., (2001) the authors set out to establish the therapeutic approaches taken by contemporary psychotherapists and psychoanalysts in relation to their gay and lesbian clients. They were able to establish that gays and lesbians seeking psychoanalytic therapy in the National Health Service for personal reasons would have difficulties finding gay therapists if they want one. This study also established that clients may often encounter overt or covert bias, including the pathologisation of homosexuality (Bartlett, et.al., 2001). In a paper by Godfrey, et.al., (2006) the authors set out to determine the knowledge, experiences, and values that therapists must possess in order to ensure quality therapy services for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals individuals and their families. The study revealed that therapists need to gain educational experiences which would give them the ethical and high-quality therapy for their clients (Godfrey, et.al., 2006, p. 491). However, most therapists are not actually prepared to work with these clients; nor have they ever worked on their personal homophobia or related LGB issues (Murphy, et.al., 2002). In effect, many homosexual clients hardly receive the appropriate and adequate therapeutic care they deserve. This study by Godfrey, et.al., (2006) was able to establish a collective opinion from different experts on the training necessary to prepare therapists in working effectively with homosexual patients and their families. Their study was also able to point out themes which manifested or which did not manifest in the assessment of subject respondents. These themes include: importance of self-of-the-therapist problems; lack of emphasis on sexuality; beliefs about common problems faced by homosexual patients; the importance of acknowledging and respecting diversity of clients; and the lack of agreement on recommended materials (Godfrey, et.al., 2006). The self-of-the-therapist refers to the efforts that therapists make in “clarifying, evaluating, and potentially changing their own biases, prejudices, and values (Godfrey, et.al., 2006, p. 491). The importance of self-of-the-therapist work is an important aspect of therapy with homosexuals because therapists failing to make investments in personal evaluation before counseling LGBT patients would risk inflicting harm upon their clients. They might unconsciously be projecting their personal issues onto their clients or they may miss main aspects of their assessment and subsequent intervention (Godfrey, et.al., 2006). Experts point out that it is important for therapists to examine their own conceptualization of gender and sexual identity and the source of these thoughts and identities, which may include their family, peer norms, and even their religion (Godfrey, et.al., 2006). The authors also pointed out the importance of therapists challenging themselves in relation to their prejudices in a persistent manner and allowing others to challenge them. It is important for therapists to recognize their homophobia and how they relate to the bigger society. It is also important for therapists to allow students to communicate with other LGBs in order to allow a personal expression of their sexual orientation (Godfrey, et.al., 2006). It helps the counselors be more open to the ideas and accounts which are expressed to them, making them more effective and diverse therapists. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals are not special, however, the points emphasized above require more sensitivity, openness, comfort with the homosexual population, and a working knowledge of homophobia, heterosexism, and homosexual biases and their consequences. In a paper by Long and Serovich (2003, p. 59), the authors sought to encourage trainers “to examine their programs’ curricula for evidence of heterosexist bias and introduce ways that they might integrate issues related to same-sex affectational and sexual orientations into their programs via the classroom and the clinic”. It is important to incorporate among trainers a less biased conceptualization of homosexuality within the curricula because such process would help build healthy and therapeutic environments for LGBs. Heterosexual bias or heterosexism refers to a social control wherein values, roles, and even institutions normalize heterosexuality; and heterosexuality is promoted as the norm of society and is enforced formally into the societal processes and activities. In most societies, homosexuality has not yet reached a strong level of acceptance among the people and “heterosexist bias still pervades our culture and our belief systems and thus our training programs” (Long and Serovich, 2003, p. 63). There is a need to shift this confined curricula towards a more open and inclusive environment, one which already includes programs and processes for diversity. Moreover, the training modules need to be conceptualized from the homosexual clients’ point of view, allowing the latter’s input to be a part of the counseling program or process. In counseling LGBs, it is important for therapists to refrain from acting shocked or disappointed during revelations by their clients of their sexual orientation. Such behavior can be really harmful to the psyche of the clients, especially the students and younger clients. It is also important for the students’ emotional well-being for the counselor not to share personal information about the LGB clients with other students or faculty without the consent of the homosexual client (Long and Serovich, 2003). Helping students and clients deal with their feelings of bias and with their sexual orientation is an important part of the therapeutic process. Moreover, therapists would also do well to understand the same-sex orientation of their clients and to “replace misinformation with accurate knowledge” (Long and Serovich, 2003, p. 63). The terminologies used in the process of counseling and working with homosexual clients are important terms which must be learned with a mind to accuracy and sensitivity. It is often difficult to build the validity of using the term sexual minority in relation to the LGB community; however its use is already related to the number of self-acknowledged and openly identified individuals who are gays, lesbians, bisexuals, or transgendered (Long and Serovich, 2003). Moreover, some individuals in transgendered relationships have affectational relationships, but not sexual relationships with their partners. Therefore, even as most people include the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and the transgendered in one community, each of these groups have individual qualities which make them unique from each other (Long and Serovich, 2003). It is such uniqueness which needs to be recognized and respected during the counseling process. By knowing such differences, the counseling process of these unique individuals can be proven wholly effective. Works Cited Bartlett, A., King, M., & Phillips, P. (2001). Straight talking: an investigation of the attitudes and practice of psychoanalysts and psychotherapists in relation to gays and lesbians. The British Journal of Psychiatry, volume 179: pp. 545-549. Callahan, C. (2001). Protecting and Counseling Gay and Lesbian Students. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development, volume 40(1), pp. 5-6. Godfrey, K., Haddock, S., Fisher, A., & Lund, L. (2006). Essential components of curricula for preparing therapists to work effectively with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients: A Delphi study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, volume 32(4), pp. 491–504. Long, J. & Serovich, J. (2003). Incorporating sexual orientation into MFT training programs: Infusion and Inclusion. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, volume 29(1), pp. 59-67. Murphy, J., Rawlings, E., & Howe, R. (2002). A survey of clinical psychologists on treating lesbian, gay, and bisexualclients. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, volume 33, pp. 183–189. Read More