Abstract
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) clients have reported experiencing heterosexist/homophobic attitudes from heterosexual therapists, but this has seldom been discussed for gay therapists. Such experiences could impact the therapeutic process and a gay therapist's willingness to self-disclose their sexuality. Self-disclosure of sexuality can be therapeutically beneficial for LGBTQ or heterosexual clients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven gay male therapists and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Five themes emerged: affinity for working with LGBTQ clients, heterosexual males’ resistance to the therapeutic process, the impact of homophobia within the therapeutic relationship, empathy through shared humanity, and utilizing therapist sexuality as a tool within the therapeutic relationship.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 165-183 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Apr 2015 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- gay
- heterosexism
- homophobia
- homosexual
- LGBTQ
- self-disclosure
- sexuality
- therapist
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