Psychologists' competence to treat lesbian, gay and bisexual clients: State of the field and strategies for improvement.

Lyons, Heather Z.; Bieschke, Kathleen J.; Dendy, Anna K.; Worthington, Roger L.; Georgemiller, Randy

doi:10.1037/a0021121

Cited by 35 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Incompetence and poor training were identified as responsible for inferior psychological treatment offered to lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients whose overall treatment dissatisfaction was high, and even higher for those from minority race/ethnicity categories (Lyons, Bieschke, Dendy, Worthington, & Georgemiller, 2010). Higher levels of stress and psychopathologies, as well as specialized treatment recommendations, were noted in minority individuals self-identified as LGBTQ (Chae & Ayala, 2010), in AsianAmericans who were LGBTQ (Szymanski & Sung, 2010) and in American Indian and Alaska Native women self-identified as bisexual, lesbian or "two spirit" (Lehavot, Walters, & Simoni, 2009).…”

Section: Tentative Implications For Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 96%

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Einbinder

Fiechter

Sheridan

et al. 2012

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services

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A sample of 927 U.S. social work educators expressed limited negative attitudes toward lesbians and slightly more negative attitudes toward gay men in this cross-sectional, national study using standardized survey instruments with proven psychometric properties. Faculty most likely to express negative attitudes toward lesbians included those employed at a religiously affiliated university (whether sectarian or non-sectarian), identifying as African-American and male, working in an urban or suburban setting (rather than a rural one), and having probationary tenure-track status. These individual and institutional characteristics accounted for 7.8% of the variance in social work educators' negative attitudes toward lesbians. Faculty most likely to express negative attitudes toward gay men included those identifying as African-American, employed at a religiously affiliated university, identifying as heterosexual and male. These variables explained 12.4% of the variance in social work educators' negative attitudes toward gay men. Implications for social work education are addressed and suggestions generated regarding how social work educators and their educational programs can ensure that they are preparing competent, unbiased practitioners who can advance social justice and reduce oppression among gay and lesbian clients.

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Section: Tentative Implications For Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 96%

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Einbinder

Fiechter

Sheridan

et al. 2012

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services

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“…First, it is suggested that college counselors would be professionally wise, and perhaps ethically obliged, to seek training and experience in working with members of sexual minority groups. A considerable body of literature is developing on counseling and psychotherapy with individuals who are sexual minorities (Lyons, Bieschke, Dendy, Worthington, & Georgemiller, 2010); given that it is likely that somewhere between 8% and 19% of counseling center clients identify as a sexual minority, competence with this portion of clients is essential. In addition, the results imply that further outreach for college students who identify as sexual minorities may be necessary, especially among those who seem to endorse distress but may not seek counseling as commonly as other groups (e.g., bisexual and questioning students).…”

Section: Implications For Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Orientation Minorities in College Counseling: Prevalence, Distress, and Symptom Profiles

McAleavey

Castonguay

Locke

2011

J of College Counseling

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Sexual minority group members are at a higher risk for mental health difficulties than are heterosexual individuals. The results of this study showed that college student sexual minorities were common in counseling centers and that they were more likely than heterosexual students to seek counseling. The results also showed that sexual orientation groups differed in meaningful ways from one another, and many sexual orientation groups reported higher levels of psychological symptoms than did heterosexual students. S exual minority status has been linked to increased risk for mental health symptoms and psychological distress (e.g., Cochran & Mays, 1994, 2000a, 2000bCochran, Mays, & Sullivan, 2003;King et al., 2008;Mays & Cochran, 2001). One recent meta-analytic review found that nonheterosexuals (N = 11,971) experienced an increased lifetime risk of suicide attempts, depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. In a British sample, King et al. (2003) found that gay men and lesbian women were more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to express greater overall psychological distress and were also more likely to have recently consulted a mental health professional.Within recent decades, minority stress theory has been applied to the experience of sexual minority populations to help account for this increased risk (e.g., Meyer, 1995Meyer, , 2003Meyer, Dietrich, & Schwartz, 2008;Schwartz & Meyer, 2010). There is now a substantial and growing literature base suggesting that this increased mental health risk in sexual orientation minorities is attributable, among other factors, to an increased likelihood of actual and perceived minority discrimination as well as internalized negative attitudes toward sexual minority orientations (Meyer, 2003).However, less empirical work has examined possible heterogeneity of experience and distress between members of different sexual minority populations. Although differences between gay men and lesbian women have been found (e.g., lesbians in the King et al., 2003, study, but not gay men, reported higher incidence of verbal and physical abuse than did their heterosexual comparison group), research on other minority groups is still in its relative infancy. One example of heterogeneity between sexual minority groups is the somewhat inconsistent finding that homosexual men, but not homosexual women, are at increased risk for body image and eating disorder symptoms (see Nelson,

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“…This may assist clinicians in developing interventions within the integrated care setting to most effectively address the needs of LGB women and men who seek mental health services (Lyons, Bieschke, Dendy, Worthington, & Georgemiller, 2010). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual orientation differences in functional limitations, disability, and mental health services use: Results from the 2013–2014 National Health Interview Survey.

Cochran

Björkenstam

Mays

2017

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

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Objectives We investigated sexual orientation differences in risk for mental health morbidity, functional limitations/disability, and mental health services use among adults interviewed in the nationally representative 2013–2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Method Respondents were 68,816 adults (n=67,152 heterosexual and n=1,664 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals), age 18 and older. Fully structured interviews assessed sexual orientation identity, health status, and services use. Using sex-stratified analyses while adjusting for demographic confounding, we compared LGB and heterosexual individuals for evidence of mental health-related impairments and use of mental health services. Results LGB adults, as compared to heterosexual adults, demonstrated higher prevalences of mental health morbidity and functional limitations. However, this varied by gender with LGB women evidencing elevated risk for both mental health and substance abuse (MHSA) and non-MHSA limitations. Among men, sexual orientation differences clustered among MHSA-related limitations. Overall, LGB adults were more likely than heterosexual adults to use services, with the source of functional limitations moderating these effects among men. Conclusion MHSA-related morbidity is a significant concern among LGB individuals and is associated with higher levels of functional limitations/disability. Our findings highlight that LGB persons use MHSA-related treatment at higher rates than heterosexuals do, and, among men, are more likely to do so absent MHSA or non-MHSA-related functional limitations. This presents a unique set of concerns within the integrated care setting, including the need to deliver culturally competent care sensitive to the context of probablep sex differences among LGB individuals.

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Psychologists' competence to treat lesbian, gay and bisexual clients: State of the field and strategies for improvement.

Cited by 35 publications

References 61 publications

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Sexual Orientation Minorities in College Counseling: Prevalence, Distress, and Symptom Profiles

Sexual orientation differences in functional limitations, disability, and mental health services use: Results from the 2013–2014 National Health Interview Survey.

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