Lgbt Group Work

Since the beginning of their existence and in today’s society, the community of LGBT workers are not being treated fairly or getting their fair share that they deserve in the workplace. They are victims to high rates of workplace discrimination. Instead of being judged as workers and what they bring to their jobs and how they work, they are being judged by their sexual preferences and appearance. Being a gay or transgender worker causes them to be mistreated, not judged for the actual workers they are, and most importantly, halts a majority of them in better career and job opportunities. Although under federal law it is illegal to fire someone who is either gay or transgender, they are still either being denied employment or being terminated from their jobs because of their gender category or sexual orientation.

Largely, individual variables within the LGBTQ community can consists of race, ability, gender identification, age, or in this case, age. The cultural competency trainings are based on a “Cultural Humility” meaning change occurs as a lifelong process of learning, this includes self-examination and refinement of one’s own awareness, knowledge, behavior and attitudes on the interplay of power, privilege and social contexts (Joo, Margolies, & McDavid,

Group work is an effective method of therapy in which a social worker leads a group of individuals who have a common purpose. Group work is used for many populations, and there are constantly new models of group work that are developed for certain underserved populations. One of those populations is the LGBTQ community, specifically, LGBTQ adolescents. This essay will cover new models that can be implemented to lead groups with LGBTQ group members. The purpose of the models is to promote resiliency and to be used as interventions for those who have trouble coping with stress. There will also be discussion about the benefits for facilitators and members who participate in groups, and how effective these groups are for LGBTQ adolescents. It is important to care about the LGBTQ community because they are more alienated than other minority groups. Someone who is part of a racial or gender minority has friends or family that identify with the same status; LGBTQ do not always have someone who identifies with them, making them more vulnerable than most other minorities.

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

Part of my training in becoming a counselor, I have developed and continue to develop skill to advocate for all youths. Through mindfulness training, I want be an advocate for LGBTQ youths by empowering them and providing useful skills that promote independent living. Every youth, gender conforming or non-gender conforming, deserves the right to live a success, content and fulfill life.

Many social workers have had minimal training and preparation in servicing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning (LGBTQ) clients. It is not uncommon or unlikely that even the most seasoned practitioner will display some form of negative bias or utilize misinformation with assisting these clients. Because the Universe and the norms are steadily changing and evolving we as social workers must do the same to better assist our clients especially our oppressed populations. This research paper will provide an in depth look at the LGBTQ community, in particular the adolescent victimization of LGBTQ students in a school setting. Research suggests that youth who identify as LGBTQ are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts,

In “We must celebrate gender and sexual diversity in our schools” published in The Conversation, February 16 2016, Lucy Nicholas argues that the current commentary on the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) community against schools and the SSC (Safe Schools Coalition) is extremely out of touch. Many of youths already understand their sexuality, whether it be heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual.

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.

With more and more people coming out and developing their sexual identity each year. I feel as future social workers we have an obligation to support and respect this community as well as each person's identity. Our job involves understanding this population and advocating for equal rights for all individuals. It is clear that the concept of social justice will not be realized until society can embrace the notion that different does not mean bad.“The only idea involved in all questions of sexual orientation are the great transcendent issues of justice and love. Acceptance of the homosexual community will leave both communities free from the need to conform to narrow stereotypes and free to develop all the qualities that belong to the fullness of the human personality.”( Blackwell, C. W., Ricks, J. L., & Dziegielewski, S. F.

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).

Emily: I chose to attend the LGBTQ Education Conference in Seattle, WA. This conference was primarily directed towards educators and administrational support staff within academic settings, and was hosted by the SAFE Schools organization of Washington State. The objective that SAFE Schools sought in this conference was to introduce educators and school support staff to the history of the LGBTQ community, as well as to offer a tool box of skills that they can pull from to create the safest learning environment possible for students who align with a LGBTQ orientation (Safe Schools, n.d.). During the conference, a panel of educators discussed current issues their schools are facing, and how they

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has never received as much attention as they are right now. Much of this attention is stemming from this population struggling to obtain the same rights given to the remainder of the population. The LGBT community faces many challenges in their personal system, social environment, and then in the public system. In working with the LGBT population, the social worker needs to examine how the individual views themselves, not only through sexual identity, but as an individual. We need to look at the prejudices and condemnation they have encountered which may have led to further uncertainty or confusion.

“…the presence of sexual minority youth and their allies who are able to organize in an open manner.” (Varjas, 2007) These studies haven’t described exactly what Gay-Straight Alliances entail and what they do. They have shown that it is a great way to provide a way in which two cultures can work together to make a comfortable environment. Knowing what happens exactly in these meeting will help us as professionals find out how they work and organize themselves. The ways in which community and learning is performed could help explain and provide techniques of how we can address LGBTQ bullying in

It is shocking of how there is such a lack of understanding about LGBT youth. There are some professionals who don’t understand the difference between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (Majd, Marksamer & Reyes, 2009). Lesbian is a female with interest in

The NASW (National Association of Social Workers) sets the standards and guidelines for social work professionals on working with the LGBT community. According to them: