Counseling Lesbian and Gay College Students through the Lens of Cass's and Chickering's Developmental Models

Abstract

At some point, every college freshman asks "Am I okay?" or "Am I normal?" This question becomes more complicated when students who are lesbian or gay seek counseling. The universal issues that most college students encounter are compounded by struggles with developing a positive sexual identity while coping with prejudice. This article uses the seminal developmental theories of Chickering and Cass as the basis for exploration of and recommended interventions for some of the unique issues that lesbian and gay students face during their college experiences. The authors explore the impact of campus climate and community and provide suggestions for helping lesbian and gay students transition to and thrive in the college milieu.College life is challenging for all students. Stress, relationship difficulties, and developmental transitions can all interfere with a successful college experience and personal satisfaction. Students who are lesbian or gay experience the same stressors that affect all college students but may have the additional stress related to being a sexual minority. Awareness of these challenges and how they interact with student developmental theory can help counselors work more effectively with lesbian and gay students.Although acceptance of sexual diversity is increasing, there remains ongoing marginalization and stigma associated with sexual minorities, and a

Loss of Religious or Spiritual Identities Among the LGBT Population

“…Maggie's sexual identity transition, from Cass's () perspective, is a transition from the identity tolerance stage to the identity acceptance stage. Zubernis, Snyder, and McCoy () explained that individuals transitioning through the identity tolerance stage to the identity acceptance stage (Cass, ) need social support to help them find a sense of community. Use of groups (e.g., LGBT support groups) outside of individual counseling can help these individuals deal with their loss of R/S identity.…”

Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on College Student Development: A Seven‐Vectors Perspective

“…Chickering and Reisser's seven‐vectors theory of student development did not explicitly consider CSA among the factors that may influence performance in college, and yet the “broad conceptual approach” (p. 44) is adaptable to the mission of college counselors. In their study of lesbian and gay college students, Zubernis et al () wrote that a “significant part of college counseling is facilitating normal psychological development by helping students add new skills and coping strategies to their repertoire” (p. 141). They stated that “awareness of the specific challenges to skill development can help counselors be more effective in this endeavor” while “decreasing the incidence of negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse” (p. 141).…”

“…The authors explained that this “broad conceptual approach” to a developmental framework was intentional and left “practitioners the options of putting their own understanding and interpretation into it and applying it within their own contexts” (p. 44). Academics and practitioners have done just that, adapting the seven vectors to better understand gender differences in student development (Foubert, Nixon, Sisson, & Barnes, ), to create a model for counseling lesbian and gay college students (Zubernis, Snyder, & McCoy, ) and to assist in the development of injured college athletes (Harris, ). The seven vectors do not directly account for the impact of sexual abuse occurring in childhood and have not been adapted for that purpose until now.…”

Protective Behavioral Strategies, Alcohol Consumption, and Alcohol-Related Negative Consequences Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual College Students

“…It is important to emphasize that this heightened risk for heavy alcohol use likely does not occur in a vacuum. In addition to developmentally normative stressors experienced by college students, LGB students often experience additional stressors related to their sexual orientation (Zubernis, Synder, & McCoy, 2011). Despite changing national views, LGB students continue to experience heterosexist discrimination (Rankin, 2003;Woodford et al, 2012) and perceive their campuses and even residence halls as unwelcoming (Brown, Clarke, Gortmaker, & RobinsonKelig, 2004;Fanucce & Taub, 2010).…”