It's crucial to understand that gay positive therapy is not a stand-alone psychotherapeutic approach. Its approach challenges the conventional psychological ideas on homosexuality by including a unique spectrum of psychological information. The viewpoints, sadly, held that gay desire was abnormal and unethical. Gay positive therapy operates from a non-traditional viewpoint while employing conventional person-centered and psychodynamic psychotherapy techniques.
Gay affirmative psychotherapy is a type of non-heterosexual counseling that focuses on helping clients feel comfortable working toward authenticity and self-acceptance regarding their sexual orientation rather than trying to "change" them into being heterosexual or "eliminate or diminish" same-sex "desires and behaviors." According to the general agreement of scientists, affirmative psychotherapy states that homosexuality or bisexuality is not a mental illness. In fact, coming to terms with and accepting one's Gay identity might be essential to overcoming other mental disorders or substance misuse. Clients who have religious convictions that are understood to preach against gay activity may need another approach to integrating their potentially opposing religious and sexual selves.
According to Krajeski, it is challenging to come up with a term for a treatment approach that recognizes both homosexuality and heterosexuality equally as inherent qualities or norms. The term that is used the most frequently is homosexual positive. The lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity is acknowledged by the homosexual affirmative therapist as an equally good human experience and expression to heterosexual identification.
Gay affirmative therapy, according to Maylon (1982: 69), is not a stand-alone form of psychotherapy. Instead, it provides a unique body of psychological knowledge that goes against the conventional wisdom that pathological homosexual desire and set homosexual inclinations exist. While using conventional psychotherapy techniques, gay-affirmative therapy operates from an unconventional viewpoint. This method views homophobia—rather than homosexuality—as a significant pathogenic factor in the emergence of specific clinical disorders among gay men.
The Core Condition of Respect is Gay Affirmative Therapy
Respect for the client's sexual orientation − This indicates that the therapist understands that a gay or bisexual orientation may be equally as healthy as a heterosexual one; homosexuality and bisexuality are normal variations on a spectrum of human sexuality, not pathologies. Therapists need to re-evaluate their attitudes about sexuality as a whole and their antiquated or naive conceptions of binary sexuality.
Respect for personal integrity − To establish a peer connection with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients, the therapist should work hard in maintaining their confidentiality. They have received negative treatment from society. Therefore, it is beneficial for the therapist to work to establish a collaborative connection and transform into a travel companion for the client rather than a tour guide. This is founded on the idea that if a client doesn't know what's best for them, the therapist most likely doesn't either.
Respect for lifestyle and culture − Customers have a right to respect for their way of life and culture. It is unethical for therapists to deal with lesbian, homosexual, and bisexual clients if they are unable to treat them with respect. When dealing with customers from diverse cultural backgrounds, it is crucial to take a close look at one's beliefs about values, morality, and lifestyles. Most lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients are probably unlikely to follow their therapist's lifestyle, especially if that person is straight. Lesbians, gay males, and bisexuals lead a diverse range of lifestyles. Others may live alone and have a variety of sexual partners, or none at all, while some live in partnerships that are nearly identical to heterosexual married couples, while others are extremely different.
Respectful attitudes and beliefs − Prior to dealing with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients, therapists must examine their own values for views that may cause them difficulty. Then, through treatment or supervision, they may address any biases, or they can delicately recommend the client to another therapist. It should not be considered shameful to decide not to cooperate with someone for whatever reason.
Therapists who kindly offer to assist gay clients make the most of a bad situation are not welcomed by them. In actuality, this kind of behavior is one of the more subtly homophobic ones. Therapists who are unwilling to embrace homosexuality as a healthy and possibly creative way of being should be aware of this and refrain from treating gay people since their clients will unavoidably pick up on their fear, anxiety, and ambivalence.
The expectation that therapists should be able to work with any client on every topic is unreasonable. Knowing one's biases and personal value systems is an indication of professional honesty, as is referring a client somewhere else if it appears that there may be conflicts. Taking on a client when the therapist has (undisclosed) biases or values that will conflict with the client's value system and where respect for the client cannot be maintained is a sign of professional ineptitude.
Following are the major guidelines −
Being gay affirmative entails becoming aware of the present cultural landscape and deciding how to influence it.
Consider how the client's identity and reaction of the outside world may have formed whatever problems they bring up.
Consider how the societies in which we live construct sexuality, family, and gender.
History will help you understand the idiosyncrasies of the present.
Do not accept the notion that Gay people are superior to or inferior to other people.
To avoid being shocked or stunned at the mere suggestion of sexual possibilities and language, familiarize yourself with both.
Be mindful of the Gay community's reluctance to disclose their sexual orientation. Both the threats and the opportunities for living freely exist.
Refer your client to a more suitable counselor and work on this internally with your own support system rather than theirs if you are unable to overcome the part of you that would prefer Gay individuals were not seen.
It's important that therapists understand the unique issues LGBT clients face and how these issues affect their relationships, separately as well as together with other disorders. Gay affirmative therapy helps clients confront tasks by increasing self-awareness and personal insight. The end goal is to help clients feel comfortable with who they are. This can go a long way toward helping them address other mental health concerns they might be facing.
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