Significant and other: systemic family therapists on lesbians and gay men (original) (raw)
Related papers
Lesbians, gay men and family therapy: a contradiction in terms
Journal of Family Therapy, 1999
This paper seeks to review the history of discussions about lesbian and gay male sexuality in family therapy theory and practice. It examines whether homophobic and heterosexist attitudes are present in family therapy thinking. Possible connections are explored between attitudes towards lesbian and gay issues and the professional backgrounds of family therapists, wider debates on homosexuality within society, and conceptualizations of the family life cycle. The question of why relatively little has been written on the issues raised by lesbians, bisexuals and gay men in therapy is discussed. The implications of this oversight on practice are addressed and suggestions made for future work.
Family and couples therapy with gay and lesbian clients: acknowledging the forgotten minority
Journal of Family Therapy, 1991
Family and couples therapy in; the main concentrates on heterosexual clients, and has thus been described as limited in its outlook, or discriminatory. It is argued that family and couples therapy is at present not offered to gay and lesbian clients because of an absence of appropriate referrals, the inability of therapists to recognize the sexual orientation of their clients, a belief that skills held by therapists are not appropriate for this client group, or because of the homophobia of the therapist. It is suggested that family and couples therapy should be more readily available for gay and lesbian clients, and a number of different issues which these families might face are discussed. This includes problems associated with the gay adolescent and the gay or lesbian parent, as well as the gay or lesbian couple. It is concluded that established forms of intervention are effective with gay clients, provided that the specific needs and prolblems of the gay and lesbian community are addressed by the therapist.
STRAIGHT THERAPISTS WORKING WITH LESBIANS AND GAYS IN FAMILY THERAPY
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2000
This article uses a culturul literacy model to sensitize straight marital and family therapists (MFTs) to work with gays, lesbians, and their families. While most MFTs number gays and lesbians among their clients, differences in sexual orientation between therapist and clients are often insuficiently addressed, closing off therapeutic possibilities. Marital and family therapists are asked to systematically assess homophobic and heternsexist assumptions in both personal attitudes and professional theory and practice and to educate themselves about gay culture and family life. The role of disclosure, trust, and collaborative meaning making in creating a therapeutic relationship that is culturally sensitive, clinically effective, and ethically responsible is examined. When therapist and client differ in sexual orientation, there is an initial sense of "otherness" that must be bridged in building a therapeutic relationship. Each needs to become aware of the panoply of assumptions, inferences, and emotions that adhere to the image of the other, both as an actual individual and as a representative of another culture. Each must also assess how he or she is perceived by the other, differentiating how one sees oneself from how one is defined by the larger culture. The shared experience of the therapeutic encounter sensitively negotiated-the "intimate interaction" that Weingarten (1992, p. 45) defines as occurring "when people share meaning or co-create meaning"-bridges that otherness, creating connection without obliterating difference. This article will address how straight marital and family therapists (MFTs) can bridge differences in sexual orientation to work effectively with gay and lesbian families and couples. THE CULTURAL LITERACY MODEL To be effective in working with clients whose cultural background differs from one's own, it is widely accepted that a therapist needs to become culturally literate, developing familiarity with the client's heritage and milieu. This includes being aware of the "power differentials in society and the ways that they may affect the therapy process and the client's day to day life" (Greene, 1995, p. 155). This is no less true when these differences revolve around sexual orientation than when they concern race, ethnicity, or social class. Straight MFTs working with gays and lesbians must be willing to examine themselves, their own privilege as heterosexuals, and their attitudes, feelings, and beliefs about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. They also need to adopt a cross-cultural perspective in working therapeutically with those whose sexual orientation differs from their own. (The use of the terms gay and lesbian to discuss how culture is constructed along lines of sexual orientation is not meant to exclude bisexuals or transgender people; it is used only to avoid the unwieldy prose that would follow from the more inclusive list.
Lesbian and gay families: Exploring clients' thoughts and considerations
Relevant literature has broadly explored the challenges for gay and lesbian family members, with most noticeable considerations arising from decisions to “come out” as gay families. In a previous research, we have attempted to understand therapists’ own dilemmas when working with lesbian and gay family members. But what are the challenges, if any, from the clients’ perspective? What are their thoughts regarding the family formation? In this qualitative study, we used thematic analysis to examine 8 semi-structured interviews with lesbian and gay clients in family oriented therapy. Focusing on the similarities of clients' experiences, specific 'consideration' themes emerged from the interviews. Based on our findings, six themes are considered prominent: i) ‘relationship quality’, ii) ‘supportive networks’, iii) ‘social and legal factors’, iv) ‘financial issues’, v) ‘personal aspects’ and vi) ‘children upbringing’. Although, many views were common, clients’ have thoughts that are linked to their own personal history. Most of the findings were related to the clients’ personal considerations about a child’s rearing and less to the specific homosexual factor. The therapeutic process seems to have played an important role in the way these thoughts and considerations have been processed and tackled with by the interviewees.
Clinical Social Work Journal, 2013
Like family relationships themselves, the history and treatment of lesbian and gay people and their families is complicated. For this paper, three waves of research on the families of gay and lesbian individuals are described. During the first wave, gay and lesbian sexual orientation was seen as a disease and family dynamics were blamed for its genesis. Subsequently in the second wave it was believed that, fearing rejection many gay and lesbian people either distanced or were rejected from their own families and established friendship networks that have been described as families of choice. More recently, in the third wave, the family has been identified as a resource for lesbian and gay youth whereby open relationships with parents can help protect them from mental illness, substance abuse, and HIV risk. Furthermore, an increasing number of same-sex couples are choosing to become parents, overcoming biological and social obstacles. In this article these shifting views of the role of family in the lives of lesbian and gay people will be described along with case material that illustrates the historic influences, current developments and future directions of family treatment for this population. To be maximally effective with gay and lesbian people and their families, clinical social workers and other mental health professionals must understand how family therapy has been influenced by a progression of ideas that continue to evolve. In this paper, research examining the role of the family in the lives of lesbian and gay people will be described in three waves; as a source of blame, to an impediment to gay and lesbian happiness and ultimately a resource that can enhance lesbian and gay well-being. The influences of research on family therapy with this population will be described and case examples will demonstrate how to harness the strengths of family relationships identified in the most recent wave. Keywords Gay and lesbian families Á Family therapy Á HIV prevention Á Children of same-sex couples Á Gay and lesbian parents Á Family research Á Coming out Á Gay and lesbian youth Wave I: Blaming the Family The idea that a gay or lesbian sexual orientation is a disease caused by family dysfunction was firmly entrenched in the field of psychiatry a little more than half a century ago and still influences the way many parents react when they first learn a son or daughter is gay or lesbian (LaSala 2010; Norton 1998). From the mid 1800s when the term ''homosexual'' was coined (Norton 1998) to the early 1970s, samesex sexual behavior, including two people of the same sex dancing together, was criminalized and stigmatized in the US (Chauncey 1994). However, in the mid-twentieth century, psychiatry reconceptualized homosexuality as a disease, and the first substantive wave of family-related empirical and clinical literature addressing gay and lesbian persons concerned itself with its etiology, diagnosis, and cure (e.g.,
CLINICAL ISSUES IN WORKING WITH LESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL CLIENTS
This article discusses some of the key clinical issues for therapists to consider when working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. After a discussion of the biases that can influence psychotherapy, guidelines are given for conducting LGB-affirmative therapy that avoids these biases. Issues that therapists need to be familiar with in working with LGB clients include LGB identity development; couple relationships and parenting; LGB individuals as members of families; the unique stressors faced by individuals who are underrepresented in the LGB research literature (e.g., older LGB individuals, ethnic minorities, religious LGB individuals, bisexual individuals); and legal and workplace issues. An examination of the published literature is offered with particular emphasis given to the available empirical research.
Issues in psychotherapy with lesbians and gay men: A survey of psychologists
American Psychologist, 1991
In 1984, a task force of the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concerns was charged with investigating bias in psychotherapy with lesbians and gay men. The task force surveyed a large and diverse sample of psychologists to elicit information about specific instances of respondent-defined biased and sensitive psychotherapy practice. Open-ended responses were used to separately identify major themes of biased and sensitive practice and to illustrate each with concrete examples. Results suggest that psychologists vary widely in their adherence to a standard of unbiased practice with gay men and lesbians. To bring individual practice into accord with APA policy will require continued and expanded efforts to educate practitioners about sexual orientation.
Systemic therapy with lesbian and gay clients: a truly social approach to psychological practice
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 2002
Systemic therapy is considered as a modality which may be well-suited to therapeutic work with lesbian and gay male populations, whether as individuals, couples or families of choice. Issues within systemic therapy and practice are discussed with reference to working with these populations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.