Counseling : The Youth Lgbtq

Support groups will help lower the risk of suicide. (Eisenberg & Resnick, 2006) Having parental support will tremendously help with the LGBT youth's self-confidence. The primary step for this recommendation is to make sure there is counselling when needed. Teachers and parents can help counsel the teen with all the support they can give. (Eisenberg & Resnick, 2006) This approach draws from the social-cultural perspective. Having a family connection helps with lowering the risk of suicide; the more your family supports you, the less you think of suicide. (Eisenberg & Resnick, 2006) It'll become easier to push aside the bullying as well when they feel rejected at their school. (Husted,

LGBTQ adolescents, also called sexual minority youth, have a higher risk of developing mental and emotional problems than heterosexual youth, and also face more bullying, harassment, and victimization due to homophobia (Craig, Austin, & McInroy, 2014). In order to address their needs, the researchers used group therapy that was based on

School psychologists must help create and foster an environment that educates administrators, teachers, and non LGBT students. Many lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender youth do not feel safe in school. Sexual minority students may suffer harassment (verbal and/or physical) from teachers and peers. As a result, they may experience more absences than heterosexual students. In addition, LGBT youth may turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping with the stressful school environment (Patterson 2013, p.192). Many will contemplate or even commit suicide.

These results are meant to spark an interest in their audience and give way to even more in-depth study of the experiences of LGBTQ youth. The information is not just for those in education but it very important for them. There must be methods of intervention and procedures to prevent negative outcomes when a child does decide to confine in his parents about his/her sexuality. There have been studies done in order to identify the adolscents who idenfiy as LGBTQ. One example of a specific study conducted was by Casey Field Office Mental Health (CFOMH). This organization set out with a few questions for a group of foster youth. The study interviewed 188 adolescents ages 14 to 17 who were receiving foster care services from Casey Family Programs in 2006. About 10 children of the group of 188 youths identified as LGBQ. This study includes both the experiences of the LGBTQ youth groups as well as their non-LGBTQ counterparts. The results of this study concluded that out of the 10 students who identify as LGBTQ all felt as though they were not being given the help they needed. They felt marginalized. Another more recent study, the Los Angeles Foster Youth Study (LAFYS), was also conducted by the Los Angeles

Background Info: Sexual minority youths may identify by their own sexual identification or possible by the sexual identity of his/her sexual partner(s). This may consist of gay, lesbian, or bisexual or youth whom are not set to a “label”. Sexual minority youths who define by the sex identification of their sexual contacts includes those who have only had sexual contact with persons of the same sex or with both sexes. This dissonance between sexual identity and sex of sexual contacts is well documented, particularly among youths. ( CDC, 2011). In addition, SMY may change their label due to development, which can be ongoing in a short,longer span. Many SMY continue to withhold information from family and friends due to fear of rejection them due to their discloser. Many SMY have been kicked out their homes (become homeless) and have witnessed peers fall

The Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered (LGBT) youth population is one of the most vulnerable groups in our community. Being gay does not lead to risky behaviors or bad decision making, rather, societal stigma and discrimination can lead LGBT youth to seek emotional outlets. Today’s society has improved immensely towards the LGBT community, although it has not always been this way. Society can affect a person in shocking ways, influencing one’s unhealthy and unsafe physical and mental behaviors. This current vulnerable population deserves a voice and the simplicity of someone listening to them in order for both sides, accepting and non-accepting, to find a common ground and settle the violence.

The LGBTQ population is comprised of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered individuals, and queer or questioning individuals. In addition to having higher rates of substance abuse and seeking substance abuse treatment (McCabe, West, Hughes, & Boyd, 2013; Silvestre, Beatty, & Friedman, 2013; Senreich, 2009), LGBTQ individuals and their families have unique issues in family and treatment settings. In family settings, youths who either identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning or youths who have parents who identify as LGBTQ

The article "Gay Teens Are at Risk," was written by Paula Schleis and Kim Hone-McMahan and was published in 2004 in Teens at Risk. This article describes how society is forcing the adolescents in the LGBT community into depression and causing them to attempt suicide. According to the article, gay teens risk loosing friends and loved ones if they 'come out of the closet' and thus either try to fruitlessly hide their sexuality or attempt suicide. Additionally, the article states that one-third of teen suicides are committed by homosexuals because of homophobia. With this article's use of pathos and heart-string-pulling language gain empathy and attention from their readers. Though neither authors have a personal background or connection to the

Most LGBT youth become happy with who they are which gives them room to thrive during their adolescent years. Attending a school that has a safe and comfortable environment for every student is especially important. Positive environments can help all youth achieve good grades and maintain good mental and physical health. However, some youths are more likely than their straight peers to experience bad health and life outcomes. Experiences with violence, compared to other students, come easy to LGBT individuals that can cause increased risks for unfortunate circumstances.‘Violence’ includes behaviors such as teasing, harassment, and physical assault. It is important that students at risk have access to resources and support to deal with any questions or challenges they may have or face as they mature. Surveyed LGBT students reported 10% were threatened or injured, 34% were bullied, and 28% were bullied electronically.

GSA groups have been around since the 1980’s and according to the Gay-Straight Alliance Network there are currently over 4,000 school based groups throughout the United States (Currie, Mayberry, and Chenneville, 2012; Tommey, Ryan, Diaz, and Russell, 2011). GSA groups came out of the Gay Rights Movement during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Adolescents identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or align within the context of this spectrum have been victims of bullying, discrimination, prejudice, persecution, and hate within the school system. For one decade, between 1999 and 2009, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in the United States asking students to describe their high school milieu. According to the findings, 61% of LGBT students feel unsafe, 72% report hearing degrading comments, 85% are verbally harassed, and 40% are physically harassed (Fetner, Elafros, Bortolin, and Drechsler, 2012). The statistics for minority high school students including Latinos and African Americans had slightly elevated rates in both verbal and physical harassment. It was not until the realization that LGBT adolescents, like other adolescents, spend the majority of their time within the confines of the American public education system and suffer, did acknowledgement of creating a safe space for LGBT students develop (Toomey et. al, 2011).

Being an adolescent is a pivotal and experimental phase for most people. During these years, people are prone to innumerable forms of stressors in their lives. It is not uncommon for this group to face victimization by parents, peers, and so-called friends during their daily lives. Dealing with common stressors may influence teenagers to participate in strain-relieving activities . . .some of which are not always legal. Underage drinking and illicit drug abuse alone are two expanding problems plaguing teens. More often than not, these two behaviors are done simultaneously. This poses an even greater threat to the mental and physical health of those who decide to engage in substance abuse. On the contrary, support groups exist to aid in minimizing risky teen behavior by offering an alternative social environment. Lowered cigarette use, consumption of alcohol, drug misuse, and an overall healthier state are outcomes of an established support group for LGBT students; the positive impression of these groups implemented in schools is reason enough to acknowledge their importance and also encourage expansion into schools that do not have them (Heck et al., 2014).

It can be very difficult for LGBTQ children to be open about their sexuality or gender orientation, especially if they do not receive support from the ones who are supposed to love them no matter what. Parents positively influence the health of their LGBTQ children by providing support an encouragement. Children should be able to talk to their parents about their issues and receive beneficial advice and support. Parents’ influence on the health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens: What parents and families should know explained that parents who support their LGBTQ children decrease the risk of the children becoming depressed, abusing drugs or alcohol, and committing suicide(Centers for Disease Control). Therefore, I believe that parents of LGBTQ youth can have a significant impact on the health of their children. As a country, we must encourage each other to accept people for who they are. It is imperative that this acceptance beings in the home and at

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual transgender, and queer identified (LGBTQ) runaway and homeless youth are of the most vulnerable groups in this country. Homelessness, particularly among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer youth is an enduring example of a social problem in our society. The LGBTQ youth faces an increasing number of challenges. In disclosing their sexual orientation family conflict arises and plays a huge role in the issue of homelessness among the LGBTQ youth. They face forms of stigma and marginalization that position them as needing not only critical but immediate support from the community; however, communities are not aware of the real issue that these youth face day to day with their struggle in trying to survive on the streets.

In 2008, The National Education Association hosted the NEA National Summit on GLBT issues in Chicago, Illinois. The Summit was attended by leading researchers, practitioners, and scholars on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues and to provide recommendations to improve learning conditions and academic acement of GLBT youth (Kim, 2009).

Nearly 26 per cent of GLBT youth are forced to leave their homes due to disputes concerning sexual orientation. This leaves the youth feeling isolated and unaccepted by the family. Often, teens believe running away is the only option. It makes teens feel like they have some control of their situation (Quinn, 2002). If GLBT teens seek refuge in a shelter will they meet the same discrimination and rejection they initially were trying to escape? Counselors at shelters need to be prepared to protect, and not perpetuate, these GLBT teens from further victimization.