subject: Finding A Gay-affirming Psychotherapist [print this page] A lesbian, bisexual, transgendered* or gay man can realize themselves during a therapist's office for the identical reasons that bring anyone in for help. However it can be tough for someone in the GLBTG community to search out an affirming, supportive therapist.
The position of the American Psychological Association is that homosexuality is NOT a psychological disorder. Research conjointly has shown that psychotherapeutic treatment to change sexual orientation will not work. Nor is it moral for a professional to approach a GLBTG client with the intention of trying to vary their sexual/affectional orientation. That having been said, how does one screen for an applicable therapist if you are gay?
*The transgendered (or transsexual) client may have special needs in therapy, an necessary one being to get facilitate in the process of sex reassignment and to have support in the choices they will build regarding their gender.
SOME PREDISPOSING FACTORS:
As a prospective therapy shopper, you can keep these factors in the rear of your mind as you are interviewing or screening your therapist.
It's been shown that therapists who are the foremost possible to hold unfavorable attitudes toward the GLBTG shopper tend to:
1. Have less contact with gay men and Lesbians in their own personal lives;
2. See their colleagues and peers as also having these negative attitudes;
3. Be male;
4. Be a lot of doubtless to come back from rural backgrounds in their adolescence;
5. Be additional religious;
6. Be older and less educated;
7. Be additional likely to stick to traditional sex roles;
8. Be less liberal about sex in general or have additional guilt or negativity concerning sex;
9. Be authoritarian in that they see the world in a rigid, black and white fashion.
THE SEARCH:
When looking for a GLBTG affirming therapist:
1. Ask your friends for recommendations!
2. Look in any native gay newspapers, newsletters, or directories for therapists;
3. When looking within the telephone book or mainstream advertising, see if they list GENDER ISSUES, OR ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES or mention that they are GLBGT supportive;
4. Look on bulletin boards in any Women's Centers, bookstores, or different organizations;
5. Call your native GLBTG organizations (e.g., a close-by school) for recommendations;
6. Go on line.
THE PHONE CALL:
When it's time to set up a briefing with a prospective therapist, you may need to raise these queries or create these comments directly:
1. You may ask directly if the therapist is "gay friendly". If they're, they will typically grasp what this implies and will respond with a yes;
2. Approaching from another angle, you may ask them regarding their approach to changing sexual orientation. (Any try to gift a treatment or therapy here might indicate that the therapist believes you'll be "cured");
3. You'll ask regarding their skilled background and see if they've worked somewhere which may indicate a liberal bias, sort of a Lady's Shelter, Rape Crisis Center, or AIDS Counseling Center;
4. You'll raise regarding their professional affiliations. The Yankee Psychological Association (APA) features a division that specialize in GLBTG issues and thus do different professional organizations;
5. If the therapist is asking about your life state of affairs, notice the choices he/she makes in her inquiries. Are you asked concerning your husband or wife, or will she/he use inclusive words like, "partner", "significant other", etc;
6. If you are a lady and discuss with your partner as "she", or "he" if you're a person, will you notice any bias in the therapists voice or response or subsequent queries;
7. Ask whether or not he or she has any GLBTC purchasers, or has worked with this population within the past;
8. Simply tell her that you are gay or transgendered (or are wondering) and are wanting for a supportive therapist.
9. Ask the therapist how s/he views "Various Lifestyles";
10. It's not a smart plan to ask the therapist about her own sexual orientation over the phone. Unfortunately, this is often a matter of safety....because of the possibility of harrassment, the therapist may not feel comfy with this.
STARTING THERAPY:
Once you have created your appointment, the screening method isn't over. Be happy to discontinue therapy at any time you feel you are being discriminated against in any way. Some things to look for are:
1. Responses that recommend your therapist does not want you to be gay. Too much stress on your sexual orientation when you do not gift it as an issue.
2. Any unfounded feedback regarding sexual orientation being a results of some sort of pathology: distant father, controlling mother, broken home, etc. This sounds like you need to be cured. (And, by the way, there's no proof to counsel that sexual orientation is the result of any such pathology).
3. Any reference to programs that focus on changing one's sexual orientation. Even if it's..."Have you heard of.....".
4. The liberal response which suggests that lesbians and gay men, bi's and TG's are "just like everyone else". As if being a Lesbian, for instance, has no meaning.
5. The inadequate response from the therapist in taking a full history, or asking about your relationship, etc. In alternative words, avoiding the issue.
6. You may choose up on additional subtle cues from your therapist. Just trust your instincts and the way you feel. Explore for things such as surprise when you say you have been in an exceedingly gay relationship for a few duration, or you have had no trauma in your life, or you wish being gay.
7. At any point in your therapy, be at liberty to debate your issues with your therapist. If she or he looks open and willing to require a observe his/her biases, you'll prefer to stay. However, it is crucial that you believe your therapist to be affirming and supportive. Do not hesitate to search out someone who is.
