Homework Assignments and Handouts for LGBTQ+ Clients: A Mental Health and Counseling Handbook

Featuring over 70 affirming interventions in the form of homework assignments, handouts, and activities, this comprehensive volume helps novice and experienced counselors support LGBTQ+ community members and their allies. Each chapter includes an objective, indications and contraindications, a case study, suggestions for follow-up, professional resources, and references. The book’s social justice perspective encourages counselors to hone their skills in creating change in their communities while helping their clients learn effective coping strategies in the face of stress, bullying, microaggressions, and other life challenges. The volume also contains a large section on training allies and promoting greater cohesion within LGBTQ+ communities. Counseling and mental health services for LGBTQ+ clients require between-session activities that are clinically focused, evidence based, and specifically designed for one or more LGBTQ+ sub-populations. This handbook gathers together the best of such LGBTQ+ clinically focused material. As such, it will appeal both to students learning affirmative LGBTQ+ psychotherapy/counseling and to experienced practitioners. Offering practical tools used by clinicians worldwide, the volume is particularly useful for courses in clinical and community counseling, social work, and psychology. Those new to working with LGBTQ+ clients will appreciate the book’s accessible foundation to guide interventions.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Anneliese Singh Introduction by Joy Whitman and Cyndy Boyd Part I: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for the Coming-Out Process across the Life Span 1. A Pet-Assisted Intervention during Coming-Out Experiences Michael P. Chaney and Kathryn L. Pozniak 2. Assisting Individuals in Coming Out in Later Life as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual Vincent M. Marasco and Randall L. Astramovich 3. Transgender Teens and Gender-Identity Disclosure Laura R. Haddock 4. Assisting Youth with Disclosing Their Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity Using an Ecomap Richard A. Brandon-Friedman and M. Killian Kinney 5. Must Be the Music: Musical Autobiography and Critical Lyric Analysis Kiahni Nakai 6. Cinematherapy for LGBT Clients Jennifer Lancaster and Angelica Terepka 7. How Does God See Me? A Reflective Exercise Hannah B. Bayne and Anita A. Neuer Colburn Part II: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Managing Oppression and Building Resilience 8. Survival in an Unjust World: A Tool for Coping with Multiple Forms of Oppression Jessica Chavez 9. Managing the Intersections: A Narrative Approach to Guiding Queer People of Color in Navigating Multiple Oppressions Jayleen Galarza 10. A Lovingkindness Meditation to Heal from Heterosexism, Transphobia, and Other Forms of Oppression Eve M. Adams, Tracie L. Hitter, and Virginia Longoria 11. From Stress to Strength: A Group Intervention for Processing Minority Stress Experiences with Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Individuals Caroline Carter and Diane Sobel 12. Exploring Multiple Marginalized Identities in LGBT Clients of Color Vanessa Dabel 13. Somos Latinx: Exploring Cultural Values of Sexually and Gender-Diverse Latinx Clients Zully A. Rivera Ramos, Amanda Lawson-Ross, and Carlos Hernández 14. Building Resilience with Clients Who Face Multiple Forms of Oppression Kristin N. Bertsch 15. Building a Stronger Advocacy Role for Older LGBT+ Adults in Nursing Home Settings Angela Schubert 16. A Toolkit for Collaborative Safety and Treatment Planning with Transgender Youth of Color Wendy Ashley, Allen Eugene Lipscomb, and Sarah Mountz 17. Healing from Heterosexism: An Empirically Based Exercise for Processing Heterosexist Experiences Kathleen M. Collins, Meredith R. Maroney, Tangela S. Roberts, Brianna M. Wadler, and Heidi M. Levitt 18. At the Intersection of the Autism Spectrum and Sexual and Gender Diversity: Case Studies for Use with Clinicians and Clients Eva Mendes and Meredith R. Maroney 19. Clinical Work with LGBTQ Asylum Seekers Brianna M. Wadler, Meredith R. Maroney, and Sharon G. Horne 20. Value-Driven Exploration of Intersections between Sexual and Religious Identity Angelica Terepka and Jennifer Lancaster Part III: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Relationships 21. Exploring and Navigating Sexual Desire in Relationships Sara K. Bridges 22. Intimate Partner Violence: Initial Interventions for LGBTQ Clients Sabina de Vries 23. Transgender Youth and Healthy Relational Skills Luke R. Allen 24. Two Stars and a Wish: Termination Activities for Groups with Sexual- and Gender-Identity Diverse Clients Theodore R. Burnes 25. The Quadrant Exercise of Relationship Exploration for Sexual- and Gender-Identity Diverse Clients Theodore R. Burnes 26. Negotiating Information and Communication Technologies with Sexual and Gender Minority Youth and Young Adults Nathaniel Amos 27. BDSM Exploration and Communication within LGBT Relationships Kandice H. van Beerschoten Part IV: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for LGBTQ Parenting and Family Therapy 28. Transgender-Affirmative Parenting: Practicing Pronouns Jennifer M. Gess 29. Family Mapping Exercises (FMEs) for Adults and Children in LGBTQ-Parented Families Fiona Tasker, Maeve Malley, and Pedro Alexandre Costa 30. Expanding Binary Thinking: A Reflective Activity for Parents and Caregivers of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth Rebekah Byrd and Laura Boyd Farmer 31. Parents of Transgender Teens and the Initial Disclosure Process Laura R. Haddock and Hilary Meier 32. Maintaining the Family Unit When an Adolescent Family Member Comes Out as a Sexual or Gender Minority Susannah C. Coaston, Patia Tabar, and Lori Barrett 33. Empty-Chair Work for Coping with Heterosexist and/or Transphobic Family Rejection Cara Herbitter and Heidi M. Levitt 34. Addressing Blended Family and Trauma Issues with Sexual and Gender Minority Parents Anthony Zazzarino, Veronica M. Kirkland, and Jenae D. Thompson 35. An Informative Intervention for Parents and Caregivers of Transgender and Gender-Nonbinary Children and Adolescents Heather Kramer 36. Circles of Outness: Systemic Exploration of Disclosure Decisions in Mixed-Orientation Relationships Mary R. Nedela, M. Evan Thomas, and Michelle M. Murray Part V: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Gender and Sex Identity Exploration 37. The Matrix for Sexuality and Gender: My Sexual and Gendered Self in the World of Sexual and Gender Diversity K. Jod Taywaditep 38. Exploring Gender Identity with a Photo Diary M. Killian Kinney and Richard A. Brandon-Friedman 39. Creative Interventions for Traumatized Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming (TGNC) Youth Alexandra M. Rivera and Crystal Morris 40. The Importance of Language: Creating Nonbinary Assessment Forms That Reflect a Full Range of Gender Identities Andrew Suth and Sorrel Rosin 41. Mapping of Desires and Gender: Explorations at the Intersections Shannon Solie 42. Asexuality: An Introduction for Questioning Clients Emily M. Lund, Bayley A. Johnson, Christina M. Sias, and Lauren M. Bouchard 43. Inhabiting Our Bodies: Working with Gender Dysphoria in Transgender and Gender-Nonbinary Children and Adults through Body Maps Natasha Distiller 44. Using Expressive Art Therapy with LGBTQ Youth: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words Jean Georgiou 45. An Eight-Week Identity Exploration Group for Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Individuals Julie M. Mullany 46. Using Mindfulness to Enhance Identity Integration for LGBTQ clients Marilia S. Marien 47. Managing Religious and Sexual Identity Intersections Matt Zimmerman 48. Rose as a Name Is So Much Sweeter: Navigating the Name-Change Process with Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Clients Cadyn Cathers 49. The Aging Transgender Client: Mapping the Acceptance of Experience Dorian Kondas Part VI: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Substance Use Disorders 50. A Relapse-Prevention Intervention for LGBTQ Clients with Substance Use Disorders: The C3PO Michael P. Chaney and Fiona D. Fonseca 51. Exploring the Concept of Honesty with Transgender Clients in Recovery from Addiction Mia Ocean and George Stoupas 52. Using Art Therapy to Address Body Dysphoria, Body Image, and Eating Concerns with Trans and Nonbinary Clients Jeannine Cicco Barker 53. The Inextricable Relationship between Marginalization and Addiction: Bridging the Gap through Charting John J. S. Harrichand and Christian D. Chan 54. LGB Addiction Recovery and Community Membership George Stoupas and Mia Ocean Part VII: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Career, Employment, and Education Issues 55. Job Search and Career Resources for LGBT People Anita A. Neuer Colburn 56. Sexual-Identity Management in the Job-Search Process with Lesbian and Gay Clients Suzanne M. Dugger and Jason A. Owens 57. Strategies for Helping LGBTQ Clients Address Discrimination in the Workplace Randall L. Astramovich and Matthew J. Wright 58. Exploring Values in Career Exploration with Adolescent LGBTQ Clients Jane E. Rheineck and Tracy Peed 59. The College Search: Campus Climate Checklist Suzanne M. Dugger, Carina Lindsey, and Jason A. Owens 60. Exploring Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy with Sexual and Gender Minority College Students Marilia Marien and Yuhong He Part VIII: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Use in Outreach Programming and Training Workshops 61. Intersecting Identities: A Self-Reflective Activity for Outreach Programming and Workshops Laura Boyd Farmer and Christian D. Chan 62. Building Community on Campus: A Workshop on Sharing and Support for LGBTQ College Students Alaina Spiegel 63. Outreach Ally-Training Activities Brandy L. Smith 64. Reflections of Assumptions Jayleen Galarza and Matthew R. Shupp 65. The Papercut Activity: Understanding the Subtle and Ongoing Effects of Microaggressions Jeanne L. Stanley 66. Examining Our Blind Spots: Considerations in Working with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients with Disabilities Michelle Murray 67. Outreach on a College Campus: Understanding the Campus Climate Batsirai Bvunzawabaya and Matthew LeRoy 68. Understanding Me, You, and LGBTQ: An Outreach Workshop for General Audiences and Allies Alaina Spiegel 69. Living in Intersectional Spaces: Exploration of Social Identities in the LGBT Community Matthew LeRoy and Batsirai Bvunzawabaya 70. Creating Consciousness to Create Connection: Attending to Biases When Working with Queer Victim-Survivors of Sexual Violence Deborah O’Neill and Laura Kay Collins 71. Addressing Anti-Trans Prejudice: Decoding the Gender Matrix Soumya Madabhushi About the Editors and Contributors Index