1st Edition
Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons
Focusing on the pragmatic aspects of social work with gay and lesbian persons, this book offers a knowledge base of practice that will better prepare students and practitioners for working more competently and effectively with lesbians and gay men. Written by scholars and practitioners in the social work profession, Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons teaches you how to develop practice approaches that are sensitive to issues of sexual orientation as well as how to work with this population in the contexts of practice with individuals, couples, families, groups, communities, and organizations. The book’s sensible strategies and case studies provide you with critical information that will help you deal with homophobia and heterocentrism and enact a professional commitment to pursuing economic and social equality for diverse and at-risk client populations.A foundation-level text on social work practice with gays and lesbians, this book is designed to provide social work students, academics, and practitioners with an understanding of the values and ethics fundamental to practice with this group of clients. Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons summarizes the variety of issues, dynamics, and techniques required to work effectively with gay and lesbian clients who are at different points in their development and life cycles. To further help you in your practice, it also discusses:
- providing skilled professional assistance to gay victims of hate crimes
- how homophobia can prevent lesbians and gay men from receiving adequate services
- the obstacles social workers sometimes face when trying to integrate the core set of professional values and ethical principles into their practice
- practitioner self-disclosure regarding sexual identity
- developmental milestones for lesbian and gay persons
- alcohol and substance abuse among lesbians
- family therapy concepts of fusion and enmeshment
- same gender socialization
- assessing issues of sexual expressionCounselors, social workers, and students and academics in gay and lesbian studies will find that Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons greatly expands the social work knowledge base to disrupt the impact of institutional, individualized, and internal homophobia on social workers, their clients, and the institutions in which social workers practice. Its flexible and creative treatment approaches to therapy with sexual minorities are sure to help you sensitize your therapeutic techniques and improve the quality of care you deliver.
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1: Knowledge for Practice with Gay and Lesbian Persons
- An Ecological Approach
- Sources of Knowledge
- Practice Wisdom
- Personal Experience
- History and Current Events
- The Professional Literature
- Research
- Theoretical and Conceptual Analyses
- Self-Awareness
- Knowledge Derived from the Individual Case
- Conclusion
- Chapter 2: Values and Ethics in Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons
- The Profession’s Core Values and Ethical Principles: Application in Practice with Lesbian and Gay Clients
- Identifying, Analyzing, and Resolving Ethically Challenging Practice Problems and Dilemmas
- Conclusion
- Chapter 3: Negotiating Conflicts in Allegiances Among Lesbians and Gays of Color: Reconciling Divided Selves and Communities
- Previous Research on Racial Identity, Gay/Lesbian Identity, and GALOC Identity
- Applying the Life Model: The Stress-Coping Process Revisited
- Paradigm of the Stress Process
- Heterosexism, Racism, and Sexism: Creating Conflicts in Allegiances
- The Root of Conflicts in Allegiances: Pressures for Unity via Homogeneity
- Conclusion
- Chapter 4: Individual Practice with Gay Men
- Introduction
- Definition
- Assessment
- Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
- Rural Gay Men
- Depression and Development Issues
- Chronically Mentally Ill Gay Men
- Substance Abuse
- Domestic Violence
- Antigay Violence
- Aging
- AIDS
- HIV-Negative Men
- Living with HIV and AIDS
- Death and Dying
- Conclusion
- Chapter 5: Individual Practice with Lesbians
- Who Is Your Client?
- Married Lesbians
- Adolescents
- Gender Bias
- Couples
- Domestic Violence
- Lesbian Mothers, Children, and Families
- Lesbians of Color
- Differently Abled Lesbians
- Rural Lesbians
- Case Vignette
- Health
- HIV/AIDS
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse
- Older Lesbians
- Religion
- Conclusion
- Chapter 6: Group Work Practice with Gay Men and Lesbians
- Societal Context
- Merits of Group Work
- Literature Review
- A Group Work Approach
- Case Illustrations
- Discussion
- Chapter 7: Social Work Practice with Gay Men and Lesbians Within Families
- Definition of Family
- An Ecological Perspective
- Gays and Lesbians in the Context of Their Families of Origin
- Disclosure to Families of Origin
- Disclosure to Parents
- Creating Families
- Conclusion
- Chapter 8: Social Work Practice with Lesbian Couples
- Fusion and Enmeshment: Strength or Pathology?
- Influence of Same-Gender Socialization
- The Impact of a Nonnutritive Environment: Homophobia and Social Exclusion
- Internalized Homophobia
- Lesbian Identity Development and Couplehood
- Sexual Intimacy Issues
- Fusion and Enmeshment as Functional and Adaptive: High Emotional Closeness
- Fusion as Pathology
- Therapist-Specific Issues
- In Summary: Therapeutic Goals and Interventions
- Conclusion
- Chapter 9: Social Work Practice with Gay Male Couples
- Internalized Homphobia, Heterosexism, and Gay Identity
- Coupling Dynamics
- Male Gender Role Socialization
- Joining
- Assessing Presenting Concerns
- Interventions
- Case Illustrations
- Implications for Social Work Practice
- Conclusion
- Chapter 10: Social Work Practice with Gay Men and Lesbians Within Communities
- Practice with Communities Within an Ecological Framework
- Disempowerment and Social Pollution
- The Search for Community Within the Context of the Coming-Out Process
- Habitat
- Niche
- The Transgendered Community
- Implications for Social Work Practice
- Chapter 11: Social Work Practice with Gay Men and Lesbians Within Organizations
- Code of Ethics
- Organizational and Political Realities
- Contemporary Practice
- Strategies
Biography
Gerald P. Mallon, DSW, is Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Columbia University. His research interests focus on the experiences of gay and lesbian children, youth, and families within the context of child welfare service delivery.
