Israel, T., Gorcheva, R., Walther, W.A., Sulzner, J.M., & Cohen, J. (2008). Therapists’ Helpful and Unhelpful Situations With LGBT Clients: An Exploratory Study. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 39(3), 361-368.

Summary

According to the researchers, individuals who are gay and lesbian often seek therapy, and investigating the procedures conducted by licensed counselors and psychologists working with these individuals is crucial in discovering the most beneficial therapeutic techniques.  People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered also have very high rates of suicidal behavior and depression, which places a demand on licensed counselors to gain more expertise in working with LGBT persons.  The current study focuses on not only gay and lesbians, but also bisexual and transgendered clients, which is not often seen in past research.  The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in unhelpful and helpful situations for LGBT clients as described by the therapists.  Furthermore, the researchers looked to identify exactly what caused the situations to become helpful vs. unhelpful.

The researchers conducted phone interviews with therapists across the United States who had worked with LGBT clients.  Prior to this study, the researchers performed a content analysis of phone interviews with LGBT therapy clients.  The participants consisted of 14 therapists, out of whom seven identified themselves as being heterosexual, three as gay, two as bisexual, one as queer, and the final participant did not respond to this question.  The mean interview length with the participants was 49 minutes, and the interviews had a predetermined set of questions.  The participants were asked questions regarding aspects of therapeutic relationships, counseling experience, consequences of the situation, etc.  The researchers found that in helpful situations the therapist tends to be knowledgeable, helpful, and appropriate or affirming of the client’s sexual orientation.  In helpful situations the therapist should display a positive attitude toward LGBT issues, even if that is not the reason why the client is seeking therapy.  The researchers also found that more positive the therapeutic relationship, the more beneficial it was to the client.

Key Issues Counselors need to be aware of

The researchers of this article believe that a positive therapeutic relationship is vitally important with all clients, but is especially important with LGBT individuals.  Because lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people are a minority, therapists with these types of clients should always acknowledge and affirm this issue with the client even if that is not the reason why they are in therapy.  The therapist should also demonstrate a positive attitude regarding this issue with the client.  LGBT individuals are at high risk for depression and suicide, which is why therapists should pay close attention to these clients and tend to their needs as best they can.  Overall, the researchers believe that therapists should not view homosexuality as a disorder, and should not blame the client’s issues on their sexual orientation.  The therapists should be knowledgeable about the possible consequences of coming out, but should not use a heterosexual frame of reference for other sexually oriented relationships, and should not express degrading beliefs about homosexuality.

Implications for School Counseling

            Although the researchers do not directly relate the information in the article to school counseling, this issue is still very relevant to the school environment.  This article implies that school counselors should make an effort to develop a relationship with individuals who are LGBT.  This would allow the students to feel more welcome to speaking with the counselor, and if an issue were to come up which the student required services, they would be more likely to discuss their sexuality with a counselor whom they already have that relationship with.  Furthermore, school counselors should work toward developing a positive environment for LGBT individuals, such as a “safe zone” where these students can feel comfortable and free of judgment in these settings.  School Counselors should do their best to exude their acceptance of LGBT people, and should always affirm this issue if it comes up in a counseling session.  In conclusion, School Counselors should work toward an optimal therapeutic relationship.

Lemoire, S., & Chen, C. (2005, March). Applying Person-Centered Counseling to Sexual Minority Adolescents. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83(2), 146-154.

In this article, the authors explore the therapeutic potential of Carl Rogers’ person-centered counseling theory in helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/sexual (LGBT) adolescents who are working toward the acceptance and disclosure of their sexual identity.  The person-centered counseling approach seems to have the potential to create the necessary conditions that counteract stigmatization of these adolescents, allowing them to cope with their sexual identity in a manner that is more constructive for them.  With this in mind, the authors present both the strengths and limitations of using person-centered counseling in this particular helping context.

First, the authors consider the sexual identity development of the LGBT populations and why the person-centered principle pertains to this identity development.  The core characteristics of person-centered counseling (congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy) seem to form a practical rationale for helping intervention for LGBT clients for several reasons.  With a congruence attitude, the counselor is a genuine helper who does not wear a mask in the helping process.  The counselor’s unconditional positive regard reaches out to the client with a nonjudgmental acceptance, regardless of his or her sexual orientation.  Finally, the communication of empathy allows the counselor to enter the client’s phenomenological world, understanding the LGBT identity from the unique perspective of each individual client.

Second, the authors argue that person-centered counseling embodies six aspects that are particularly helpful to LGBT adolescent clients, as they begin to engage in dialogue and exploration, leading to sexual identity disclosure.  These six identifiable strengths of person-centered counseling are: (a) shows unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathy; (b) adopts the client’s perspective; (c) encourages the client’s locus of evaluation; (d) emphasizes the client’s notion of self-concept; (e) believes in the client’s potential for growth; and (f) ensures that the growth process is client-directed.

Lastly, the authors suggest that to overcome possible limitations of the person-centered approach in this helping context, counselors should take into consideration the special needs of this group of clients.  To do so, counselors should focus on three interconnected aspects in the helping process, namely, explicit identity validation (reassurance), guided risk assessment regarding possible disclosure, and exposure to positive sexual minority communities and socialization that are appropriate for their age group.

Implications for School Counselors:

It is critical that counselors offer safe and supportive therapeutic environments when working with LGBT adolescents, especially in the school setting, where they are often bullied and teased.  The school counselor should also assume a combination of roles in this helping process.  These roles may include that of a person-centered facilitator, an information provider, and a supporter and advocate.  The counselor’s proactive role, combined with the complementary helping strategies, will have great potential for working with LGBT adolescent clients.  This also implies that school counselors may need to become more flexible and open in varied helping contexts that will foster appropriate client-directed growth in the process of sexual identity formation and liberation.