Romantic relationships are influenced by various concepts, including the dominant discourses in society, cultural norms, and heteronormativity. One’s interpretation and connection to their significant other is informed by their childhood and family influences, the historical context and geographical location of their upbringing, along with the persistence of religiosity and the corresponding practices. Considering religion, heteronormativity […]
Negligence in treating men who display eating disorder (ED) symptomology begins with the history of the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). For example, in the DSM-IV-TR, to satisfy a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa (AN), it states that an assigned woman at birth (AWAB) must, “have an absence of three […]
What is Asexuality? So that clinicians do not “other” their clients, it is important to know the term that defines the majority of people. That term is allosexuality; this term describes people who experience average sexual attraction and are not asexual (Drincic, 2017). Asexuality is a sexual orientation generally described as those who experience little […]
What is meant by affectional and gender minorities? Affectional and gender minority clients is a broad umbrella category for individuals who self-identify as LGBTQ+. We can think of this in two broad subcategories: gender identity and sexual orientation. Gender identity Gender identity refers to how someone feels or identifies their gender. It is sometimes congruent […]
We are currently living in a time of epidemic loneliness. For gender and sexual minority individuals – those who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgender – the deleterious effects of loneliness and exclusion are amplified by societal bias. This is expressed at the highest level with a harmful effect when government actions specifically target […]
On April 25, 2017, Senate Bill 928 (2017)—Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 was introduced to Congress. The act would “prohibit, as an unfair or deceptive act or practice, commercial sexual orientation conversion therapy, and for other purposes.” Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, is a term for approaches aimed at changing lesbian, gay, […]
This article discusses findings of a qualitative study with 13 self-identified LGBTQ individuals who had a previous experience with psychotherapy. Utilizing consensual qualitative research (CQR) methods to analyze narratives from the participants, some important themes emerged which provide insights for clinicians to offer treatment that is sensitive to the needs of this population. The participants […]
While lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth are at high risk for emotional and behavioral problems, research has documented that family rejection increases these risks and family acceptance decreases them (Ryan, Russell, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2010). In this article, I will apply concepts from family systems theory to work with families who are struggling […]
In the last 20 to 30 years, we have come a long way when it comes to practicing with sexual minority clients (King, Semlyn, Killaspy, Nazareth, & Osborn, 2007). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities are affirmed and celebrated rather than pathologized, and affirmative psychotherapy is now the preferred practice approach for working with this […]
Psychotherapy with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Clients Psychotherapy is a complex and often vulnerable experience for clients, and the therapy relationship is vital to the process and success of psychotherapy (Gelso & Carter, 1994). The therapy relationship has been conceptualized as a Tripartite Model (Gelso, 2014) which posits that the therapy relationship consists of three […]