Counseling Challenges For Gays And Gays - 1198 Words

Running Head: COUNSELING CHALLENGES FOR GAYS AND LESBIANS 1 Counseling Challenges for Gays and Lesbians Rodney B. Platthy Marshall University COUNSELING CHALLENGES FOR GAYS AND LESBIANS 2 In order to effectively treat members of the LGBT community, we must look at historical, political, and personal history to help us understand the fears and secret issues the individual or group may have and how it evolved. Historical records indicate homosexuality has existed since the dawn of creation. However, it was not known by the same name, nor was it as controversial as it is today. Interestingly, homosexual men are referred to as gay, while women are usually referred to as lesbians. The etymology of the word stems from old French, gai.†¦show more content†¦Some religions approved of the practice of homosexuality, and others did not. COUNSELING CHALLENGES FOR GAYS AND LESBIANS 3 Certainly it would serve well for counselors to be well versed on the spiritual abuse aspects that some LGBT persons may have experienced and be sensitive to those issues. In doing a history, be aware of the beliefs the client has been exposed to. More recently, LGBE members have new (or newly reinforced) fears of openly practicing the lifestyle they identify with. As I write this, a clear indication of radical Islam law was acted out in Orlando, FL. Omar Mateen, while claiming allegiance to ISIS, (i.e. removing the homosexual infidels from the face of the earth) killed 49 people and wounded 53 in a gay bar. Counselors need to be aware of the mental and emotional trauma and fears events like this place on the LGBT community, and find effective ways to help them cope with those fears. It may take time to build up trust in order to get them to open up and we need to be understanding through the process. The fears that