Enhancing therapeutic effectiveness with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients

With increasing public acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals, therapists can expect to encounter more opportunities to work with LGB clients. As therapists, we need to be certain that we can provide competent care to this population, which has been poorly served in the past by practitioners taught to view homosexuality as pathological. Most therapists have never received training in working affirmatively with LGB clients. We may be unaware of how the pathological view of homosexuality continues to influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in subtle ways. By becoming more aware of our attitudes toward LGB individuals, and by learning more about issues that many LGB individuals face, we can increase our clinical effectiveness with LGB clients. © American Psychological Association D12 2005; all rights reserved.