Gay Counseling Research Paper

The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to

Prior to the twenty-first century, homosexuality was viewed as a mental disorder that required treatment. Both counseling and aversion therapy were exercised in attempts to “cure” individuals of their sexuality. The brutal process consisted of shock therapies, lobotomies, castrations, and drugs (Scot, 2013). A device that was commonly used was the Farrall Instrument, which functioned by showing an individual of the same sex and delivering a shock until a button was pressed to deliver another slide. The slides of the opposite sex did not deliver a shock; therefore, an association with those of the same sex would become negative and the patient receiving the treatment would become heterosexual. These practices were enacted until 1973 when the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder (Scot, 2013). From that point on, homosexuality increasingly grew in acceptance and still continues to do so in modern society. A variety of places that celebrate members of the LGBT community have been established to help welcome them into society, along with an improvement of the attitudes of others and their treatments towards the communities’ members. However, homophobia and the segregation of LGBT individuals still persists in modern society to prevent their integration into civilization.

Long, L. L., Burnett, J. A., & Thomas, R. V. (2006). Sexuality Counseling: An Integrative Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

The purpose of this paper is to explore various considerations when counseling members of the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community (LGBT). When counseling LGBT members, the psychology professional must be aware of various factors that may influence effective treatment. For instance, the historical treatment of the LGBT community by the mental health profession is important to understand in order to make strides at improving institutional attitudes and approaches. Other factors such as community perceptions, interfamily relations and cultural bias are all relevant to successful therapeutic outcomes. This paper aims to discuss these factors in order to present a comprehensive review of the cultural considerations involved with counseling the LGBT community.

According to the Center for Disease Control, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face health inequities that often lead to poorer health outcomes compared with heterosexual people. Some of these inequities include stigma, a lack of healthcare access and difficulty finding doctors well-educated in LGBTQ health issues. If you are a member of the LGBTQ community, you may have encountered some of these challenges in your healthcare journey and may be seeking a comprehensive education on LGBTQ health issues. There are several easy ways to learn more about common LGBTQ health issues.

I am very proud to say that I have helped to reintroduce our school's Gay Straight Alliance club. My freshman year our club shut down due to lack of interest and most LGBT students at Evansville High were uncomfortable coming out since there was not a lot of them. By my sophomore year, I thought it would be appreciable to reintroduce this club. I wanted to create a fun safe place where students to join as one. I worked hard finding information so I could relate to all, since we had all types of people. A large challenge at my school, which is awful, is students making fun of other people for simply being different.

This paper focuses on counseling clients a part of the “sexual minority” (Yarhouse, Kays, and Jones, 2013). The information regarding sexual minorities and the techniques to counsel these clients are summarized from Yarhouse et al.’s “The Sexual Minority Client” (2013). The basis for counseling the sexual minority is competence. This shift to competence is primarily from the “multicultural movement” (Yarhouse, et. al., 2013). Two supporting therapies of this movement are and “affirmative approach” and “sexual identity therapy” (Yarhouse, et. al., 2013). Counselors’ beliefs and values are inevitable in therapy. Practicing in an area with similar beliefs and values minimizes ethical issues. Personal reflection shows acceptance of information provided in the chapter except statements from the ACA and APA in which Christian counselors seem discouraged to provide therapy for the sexual minority. Interest exists in the areas of percentages concerning sexual minority, as well as, these individuals claiming an identity. The primary form of therapy to be administered for a sexual minority client is sexual identity therapy. This therapy provides the least risk in regards to ethics. The client chooses the goal and the counselor acts as a support for the client to obtain the goal. Though beliefs differ, the client will be supported even if the homosexual

As mental health services become more mainstream the individuals seeking those services become more diverse. The need for culturally competent counselors is on the rise. The following will highlight a scenario in which I am morally opposed to homosexuality and find myself working with a client who discloses he is homosexual and is having problems in his romantic relationship with another man. How I would handle this situation, ways in which my own moral standards in the context of this therapeutic relationship would be maintained, ways in which my moral stance might impact therapy, ways in which disclosure of my moral values may come into play, and considerations for how to address clashes between my own values and client values in the

Dr. Garzon's presentation on Lesbian & Gay Population addresses the American Counseling Association and Association of Marriage and Family Therapy's about the role and importance of religious identity when working with lesbian and gay clients. Both groups advocate for gay affirmative treatment, but religious identity conflicts with this treatment plan. Religion is a recognized diversity area in the professional ethics code. This could cause an ethical dilemma for many Christian counselors. I like how Stephen mentions Jeff's reminder in that counselors are not to impose their belief systems onto their clients. ACA's code of ethics calls for counseling professionals to respect their client's faith and not impose their values on their clients.

It has been made aware that a lot of individuals are struggling to come out to their families, or with struggling with gender issues that often lead to them killing themselves for not being accepted. This community often works with individuals within a group setting, to recognize the issues that they are experiencing to get advice on how to handle their issues or the emotions they are dealing with. Engaging with individuals of the LGBT community generally display a point of group facilitators with established values (Corey et al., 2010). Taking on this population will call for working with adults and children who are dealing judgments on being who they really are. It is important as a counselor to be prepared to protect the client in any way possible to lay those criticisms to rest and help clients of this group to be more comfortable in their own

In Chapter 10 of Rudolph K. Sanders’ book, Christian Counseling Ethics: A Handbook for Psychologists, Therapists and Pastors, Mark Yarhouse, Jill Kays and Stanton Jones discuss the “sexual minority” as it pertains to the field of professional counseling. This group is defined as “individuals with same sex attractions or behavior, regardless of self-identification” (Sanders, et. al., 2013, p. 252). By looking at counseling the homosexual community through its etiology, standards by which a counselor should proceed with treatment, and the options a client has on deciding treatment options, we can be better prepared as Christian counselors to be better prepared in serving the needs of others.

Homosexuality Annotated Bibliography Adriaens, Pieter R., and Andreas De Block. “The Evolution of a Social Construction: the Case of Male Homosexuality.” Scholarly Journals, vol. 49, ser. 4, University Press, 2006, pp. 570–585.

In the last two decades, homosexuality has increasingly become a topic of conversation. The "unmentionable" is now mentioned casually in many circles, named in the media, and narrated in song and film. Inevitably, despite the Church's stability and resistance as a millennia-old institution, this topic could not help but enter ecclesiastical discussion, as well. And there it shakes the foundations, for it unearths an issue critical to the unmarried, all male clerical caste on which Roman Catholicism rests. Although homosexuality among the clergy has always been known and in the early middle ages even celebrated, since the thirteenth century and until recently, it was less salient and repressed

Counseling is a field that can be very rewarding for both the client as well as the clinician. Nevertheless, it can also offer great challenges. The benefits of counseling far outweigh the bad. Nonetheless, there is a certain population of individuals who some clinicians may have a difficult time counseling more than others. The recent concerns for gender and sexual orientation constantly are in the limelight, especially amongst the political forefront. This has made clinicians more aware of their own individual biases. Other concerns that may pose a potential conflict during therapy is the aspect of confronting clients who associate with a particular culture, which may be unfamiliar to the clinician. In this paper, I will analyze an in-depth evaluation regarding the many opportunities therapy can bring as well as discuss any potential biases or challenges, which may pose a potential problem in the near future. Also, this paper will take a look at challenges as oppose to race, gender, sexual orientation, the elderly, and people disabilities.

Homosexuality, as defined in the Macquarie dictionary is, of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex or of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex. There are countless arguments for and against the social acceptance of gay and lesbian couples and the morals, virtues and church teachings associated with them aren't exactly black and white. Homosexuality is an important issue as not only do numerous people of all ages struggle with finding their sexuality but they also struggle with accepting it and embracing it. Thus it is a relevant issue for everyone in society as the entire population is affected by it.