Couple Assessment:

This paper examines the three paradigms that intersect when working with lesbian couples affected by domestic violence. The intersection of these three paradigms-family systems theory, lesbian and gay affirmative therapy, and the feminist analysis of domestic violence-creates a dilemma for lesbian therpists working in rural areas or small cities. Without the support of domestic violence services developed for or within the lesbian community, or a lesbian/gay community committed to acknowledging domestic violence, the lesbian affirmative therapist must balance the needs of the lesbian client with the feminist analysis of violence. This article outlines strategies that protect abused lesbians, without prematurely sacrificing the lesbian couple's relationship.     

Reflections on Closeted Helping Professionals

Abstract

Reflections noted in the provocative paper by Roui-lard elsewhere in this volume are reconsidered from a variety of professional and client perspectives. Among these viewpoints is a discussion regarding the boundaries of disclosure of sexual orientation. Public or professional responsibilities concerning disclosure are considered in light of the right to privacy of lesbian and gay helping professionals. The impact of disclosure upon lesbian or gay clients as it relates to the age of the client and of the service being provided is considered. Some political implications of “coming out” versus remaining “closeted” are also discussed.     

Growing Up with a “Spoiled Identity”

Abstract

Being a lesbian, gay or bisexual youth means having the stigma of homosexuality or bisexuality. A stigma is anything that discredits an individual and leads to one being assigned a “spoiled identity.” With reference to lesbian, gay and bisexual youth, the stigma is considered a blemish on one's character that often leads to stereotyping and stigmatisation. This homophobia puts many lesbian, gay and bisexual youth at risk for suicide, chemical abuse, dropping out of school, verbal and physical abuse, homelessness, prostitution, HIV infection, and psychosocial developmental delays. Approaches and strategies for working with lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are suggested and trends and issues about homosexuality in the United States, with a potential impact on lesbian, gay and bisexual youth, are discussed.     

Staying Current with Gay and Lesbian Research and Practice Knowledge

Abstract

The field of gay and lesbian psychotherapy has grown dramatically over the last two decades. Indeed, there is an increasing number of professional journals and books, which makes staying current in any area of mental health a full-time job. Many clinicians can feel daunted by having to remain up-to-date in their subspecialty, as well as in the mental health field in general. In addition, there are many allied fields of medicine, sociology, biology, and gerontology which contribute to the richness and complexity. We are a heterogeneous community, mixed by gender, race, ethnicity, class, religion, and other demographics, each of which has special characteristics for us to know and understand. Being current and remaining current are two distinct and formidable tasks. This paper will focus upon how clinicians in private practice stay current in the field of research and practice knowledge while working in the gay and lesbian community. While hoping to provide some sources of information, this paper only begins to address some of the areas of research which affect our communities.     

A Client Perspective on Therapist Self-Disclosure

Abstract

Options of “coming out” in differing therapeutic modalities are considered. Modalities considered include traditional psychotherapy, alternative therapies, and managed care systems. Therapist disclosure situations are discussed from the viewpoint of both client and practitioner. Vignettes describing therapy experiences of adult lesbian and gay clients in a variety of clinical settings are presented. Clinical issues pertaining to therapist disclosure of sexual orientation receive consideration in terms of client self-determination as well as in terms of the options or limitations imposed by different modalities. Distinctions are drawn between disclosure in predominately lesbian and gay practice settings and disclosure in predominately heterosexual settings.     

Lesbian Therapists and Lesbian Clients

Abstract

The authors, on the basis of their own experience, explore issues specific to therapists working openly as lesbians with lesbian clients. Their discussion covers the structure of a private practice, the therapeutic relationship between lesbian therapist and lesbian client, and personal challenges for the lesbian therapist. Questions are raised and direction given with the aim of facilitating congruence among the therapist's personal capacities, the therapeutic setting, and the psychological intention of the therapeutic work. The authors note the therapist's need to tolerate the exposure of her personal life and the pressure toward fusion that are both entailed in work with lesbian clients, and they suggest that these special challenges, when the lesbian therapist's engagement with them is conscious, offer rich material that can deepen the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic work.     

Gay and Lesbian Couples at Home: Identity Work in Domestic Space

ABSTRACT

Social research into gay/lesbian experiences of home has tended to posit domestic environments as alienating for gay/lesbian subjects, silencing their sexual identities. Meanwhile, work on the spatiality of sexual identity more broadly has largely focused on individuals or communities, not couples or households. In this context, this article aims to recover the importance of home for gay/lesbian couples. I explore how cohabiting gay/lesbian couples generate shared identities through domestic space, examining various ways in which these couples use homes to establish and consolidate their partnerships. Empirical data is drawn from twenty-three in-depth interviews with gay/lesbian Australians who are cohabiting, or have cohabited, with a long-term partner. The sample is largely limited to white, educated, middle-class gay men and lesbians living in urban Australia, providing an ethnographic window into the domestic identity-formation of a particular community of practice. Four key themes regarding “coupled identities” at home emerged from the interviews: (i) the importance of privacy and control at home for enabling gay/lesbian partnerships; (ii) the negotiated creation and use of shared domestic spaces; (iii) the accumulation and arrangement of household objects in those domestic spaces; and (iv) the importance of maintaining separate “personal” spaces for each partner for the well-being of the relationship.     

Psychotherapy with Lesbian and Gay Clients from an Adult Life Course Perspective

Abstract

A life course perspective of gay and lesbian adulthood enriches our understanding of clinical presentations and modifies our conception of psychotherapy. The author describes shifts in his psychotherapeutic orientation characterized by an increasing recognition of the importance of social, cultural, and historical forces that shape gay and lesbian mental health. Given the uncharted nature of many gay and lesbian lives across adulthood, existential questions about the meaning of life choices are often present in the consulting room. Therapists working with gay and lesbian clients embark on an empathic journey informed by treatment skills as well as our joint participation in a world of significant social change.     

Including Curriculum Content on Lesbian and Gay Issues

Abstract

This paper presents a rationale for requiring content on lesbian and gay issues in the social work curriculum. Recent research suggests that a considerable percentage of social workers possess homophobic attitudes. Some support exists for making education a tool to reduce negative attitudes toward the gay population. However, students are unlikely to receive adequate information about this population before they enter the social work curriculum. The goals of including content on lesbian and gay issues are to decrease homophobic attitudes and to prepare students to provide effective social work practice with lesbian and gay clients. Methods and resources for incorporating content on lesbian and gay issues in human behavior, direct practice, policy, community organization and research courses of the social work curriculum are presented.     

It's All a Matter of Attitude

Abstract

Studies have consistently documented an incidence rate of between 25% and 50% for domestic violence in gay and lesbian relationships. These numbers suggest that the gay and lesbian community is dealing with a significant mental health issue, one that is not being adequately addressed. If mental health professionals can be taught ways to assess for domestic violence in their work with sexual minorities, those persons being abused can learn strategies for ensuring their physical safety.     

Sexual Minority Adolescents

Abstract

Most ethical dilemmas confronting professional school counselors (PSCs) do not involve simple solutions. Therefore, to practice ethically, PSCs need to possess and have the ability to articulate their ethical decision-making process with a clear and defendable professional explanation. Specifically, this article details the ethical decision-making process for PSCs working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) adolescents. Additionally, ethical standards and legal statutes relating to counseling LGBT adolescents, ethical decision-making processes, and implications are discussed.     

Becoming the professors of lesbian love

We tell here our all-too-unusual story of living and working together, reflecting on both the obstacles and the forces that made it possible for us to find each other, stay together, and develop a collaborative working relationship. Despite experiencing various forms of discrimination, we have been able over the years to contribute to the creation of a queer community through hiring lesbian colleagues, attracting lesbian and gay students, participating in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement, and advocating social justice for women and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in our respective professional associations. This is the story of becoming the "professors of lesbian love," a title bestowed upon us by the drag queens we studied in our most recent joint project.     

Getting a Piece of the Pie

Abstract

This article outlines challenges facing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees at the workplace because of a lack of federal legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. A conceptual framework, PIE, is offered which addresses the protection, inclusion and equity issues which must be considered in order to create a safe and productive working environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees. Additionally, attitudes, knowledge and skills are described which a practitioner would need to acquire, so as to become culturally competent in working with sexual minority employees.     

Difference and Diversity:

Some therapists believe that they should treat gay and lesbian couples ôjust like heterosexual couples.ö Others hold the view that same-sex couples are completely different from heterosexual couples and that only specially trained therapist can work with them. This paper is an attempt to over come the lack of information about gay and lesbian couple by describing the differences between heterosexual couples and homosexual couples; differences between gay couples and lesbian couples; diversity within both lesbian couples and gay couples; and the therapeutic implications of these differences. The discussion of differences has powerful political implications and is embedded within a larger context of belief systems about gender and sexual orientation. Therapist needs to protect against categorizing, essentializing, or over generalizing about gay and lesbian couples. Although heterosexism, homophobia, and sexism affect the dynamics of all gay and lesbian relationships, it is important to recognize that age, class, race, ethnicity, and physical ability, as well as the dynamics of each individual couple, make each relationship unique. The therapist, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, or heterosexual, should be familiar with issues specific to lesbian and gay experience within the dominant society, and, at the same time, be attuned to the idiosyncratic nature of individual couples.     

“Family” Support for Family Violence: Exploring Community Support Systems for Lesbian and Bisexual Women Who Have Experienced Abuse

ABSTRACT

“Family” is a euphemistic term that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people use among ourselves to designate membership in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Ironically, this “family” may be the most sought, yet least successful, support for dealing with the intimate partner violence that occurs within LGBT families. This study of 11 lesbian and bisexual women's experiences seeking support revealed several tiers of unmet needs within the LGBT community. They rarely used services in the general community, although these services are often the focus of both criticism and efforts to build support systems for LGBT victim/survivors. A model presents the different stages and potential sources of support.     

Learning Difference

SUMMARY

This paper explores some of the relationships between the ways in which (White) dominant group children learn about racial differences and the ways in which difference is represented within gay and lesbian families. Research in the latter area has typically provided two dominant (though contrasting) accounts of difference within gay or lesbian families: (1) that children of gay or lesbian parents will have a better understanding of difference; and (2) that there are no significant differences between heterosexual and gay or lesbian families. In order to explore the implications of this current research in regards to constructions of difference within predominantly White gay and lesbian families, an analysis of storybooks aimed at children with gay or lesbian parents was conducted. The findings suggest that representations of difference within such books often reinforce a White heterosexual norm for parenting. To counter this, it is proposed that a shift is required in research focusing on gay and lesbian families, the intent being both to examine the simultaneous ways in which race privilege and sexuality-based discrimination shape the lives of White lesbian or gay parents and to broaden the scope of research in this area to more adequately reflect the diverse communities it seeks to represent.     

Rural Lesbians and Gays

Abstract

The author examines rural helping professionals' perceptions of lesbian and gay consumers and the effects their perceptions have on the provision of services to this population, including the tensions that result when helping professionals' perceptions hinder their acceptance of gay and lesbian consumers. This article uses reports from helping professionals to supplement the discussion. This article challenges helping professionals to evaluate their perceptions of gay and lesbian social service consumers which may hinder their accepting these consumers so that practitioners may gain full acceptance of their gay and lesbian service consumers.     

Coming Out Issues of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health Professionals in Voluntary and Involuntary Settings

Abstract

Mental health professionals are increasingly called upon to provide consultation and treatment in settings different from the traditional outpatient and hospital inpatient settings. This paper provides an overview of the unique problems posed when considering self-disclosure by gay or lesbian mental health professionals working with institutionalized populations. A review of literature concerning self-disclosure to patients in outpatient settings is provided and applied to institutionalized settings. Benefits of, as well as cautionary notes regarding, self-disclosure of homosexuality by mental health staff are reviewed.     

African American Gay Men and Lesbians: Examining the Complexity of Gay Identity Development

Abstract

This article addresses the concept of gay and lesbian identity development with respect to African American gay men and lesbians. The authors suggest that the integration of one's gay identity and the coming out process are uniquely constructed for African American gay men and lesbians, who may be multiply challenged by racial prejudice, limited acceptance by the African American community, and a lack of integration into the larger, White gay community. Race, African American culture, a continuum of gay cultures, gender, and individual characteristics are suggested as salient variables that distinguish the gay identity experience of African American gays from that proposed by most gay identity models.     

Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to review the research literature concerning the development of children with gay and lesbian parents. It begins by discussing some of the social, theoretical, and legal implications of studying this population, and critiques a number of the assumptions guiding this research. The review then proceeds to include studies on children of divorced lesbian and gay parents, as well as studies conducted on children of gay and lesbian families that are planned. The body of literature generally concludes that children with lesbian and gay parents are developing psychologically, intellectually, behaviorally, and emotionally in positive directions, and that the sexual orientation of parents is not an effective or important predictor of successful child development. The paper also includes a discussion of the limitations of these studies, provides suggestions for future research, and discusses the challenge these families pose for the meaning and definition of family.