practitioner recognized this as significant. Mr. Davis said there was never such a time for him. Then the practitioner creatively expanded the unique outcomes to see if there was a time when the family was not disappointed with each other, and they shared a number of positive moments when they had been proud of each other. Going with this new story, the practitioner acknowledged that if they had pride in each other before, they could have pride in each other again, and encouraged them to have hope for their survival as a family unit. This belief by the therapist provided inspiration for the family to continue to think about how to “reauthor” their story in family therapy b y continuing to explore how, as a family, they could be proud of each other amidst the news of Danielle’s coming out. This remained a challenging process but the therapist reinforced the new story by writing a letter to the family explaining that they were on a journey that, while challenging, filled everyone with optimism because they were doing the hard work to ensure that they could be proud of each other as a family again. The practitioner also recommended that the family could visit a Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) meeting (a support group for families of LGBT youth) to find support from other families who were also reconstructing their stories and engaging in the healing process. When reconstructing the new story, two other skills are used, reauthoring and reinforcing the new story. Reauthoring refers to “the process of persons’ entering their stories, taking them over and making them their own” (White & Epston, 1990, p. 13). Via the unique outcomes (building blocks to new narratives) that the families have identified, and awareness of the social influence
of the problem on their behavior, families create new stories or narratives. The therapist helps the family create a new story in which they replace “Anger with Secrecy” with “Compassion” when they think of their son/brother (and when the child thinks of himself). This reauthoring shifts the focus by empowering the family so that they can address and provide support on overcoming the family’s contribution to the reasons that left the son feeling a need to keep his sexual orientation secret. Of course, building a new narrative is not easy because families have been socialized, at times for years and decades, into the problem-saturated story. Therefore, it is important for the practitioner to lead the family in reinforcing the new story. The practitioner can assist by actually writing a letter to the family, telling them of their progress in shifting stories that will help them heal. Other examples include providing the family with certificates which announce their new stories, and sharing the new story with others who will support the family in their new view as witnesses to or allies in the new story (Nichols, 2014). These additional social supports can help the family in adhering to their new story of being compassionate with one another and deciding, with the son/brother, that they want to provide support to him and be a source of compassion and stability for one another while they make this new journey together. The therapist could write the family a letter recognizing the new story that they have decided to live by. The therapist could also encourage the family to share this news with a few trusted extended family members and friends to help reinforce their new story.
OTHER MODALITIES WITH LGB YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES
While the focus of this course is on using specific therapeutic models in working with LGB youth and their families, other interventions are helpful at times in working with this population. The knowledgeable practitioner will increase her Crisis intervention A spate of teen suicides in the U.S. LGB community in 2010 brought important attention to the needs of youth who are in crisis. At times, healthcare professionals may encounter an LGB youth who is suicidal – the intervention would be no different from that for those who are not LGB: ensure safety, establish rapport, identify positive options, make referrals, and follow up. Interventions can range from ensuring that parents are monitoring their child and have access to appropriate hotlines, Individual therapy Individual therapy or counseling is another common intervention with this population. The practitioner might identify one or more family members who would benefit from private counseling. These needs might include further assistance with self-acceptance related to coming out, further assistance with accepting a family member who is LGB, and potential conflict between an individual’s culture or religion and sexual orientation. If this is the case, the family members can consider this additional option. Models of individual therapy that can be used in working with LGB youth or their individual family Group work Coming out and facing the variety of issues related to being LGB can be daunting, and many individuals (both youth and parents) do not wish to face them alone. While many seek some form of informal social support, some individuals benefit from participation in formal group work. Group work can be led by formal facilitators or be self-led. Groups for this population include working with youth as well as the nationally known PFLAG. The purposes of group work include support, socialization, and therapy. A popular model of group work for this population is “mutual aid,” in which
or his competence by having general knowledge about these interventions because questions about them might arise in the course of family therapy.
such as the Trevor Project (see Resources), to, in the most extreme cases, arranging for involuntary hospitalization of the youth. While suicidal ideation requires urgent attention, other crises include child maltreatment where the child is at imminent risk for physical harm, neglect, or being forced to leave the family home. In these cases, healthcare professionals should call the regional child abuse hotline and, in the most urgent of situations, contact the police. members include solution-focused therapy and narrative therapy (discussed earlier), as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and motivational interviewing. It is important to reiterate that reparative or conversion therapy, in which an LGB individual is encouraged to “renounce” his or her LGB status, is not recommended by any major medical or mental health associations because it operates from the assumption that LGB status is immoral and because counseling based on this assumption can be harmful (AAP, 2013). the group provides mutual support, respectful challenging, and rehearsal to assist group members in attaining their goals (Rosenwald, in press). Additionally, in this Internet age, online groups have become increasingly popular and greatly assist families in more rural areas where real-time support and therapy groups do not exist.
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Book Code: PYCA1423
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