Deconstructing Heterosexism in the Counseling Professions: A Narrative Approach

Until recently, the lives and issues of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) people have been rendered largely invisible in the larger society and in the counseling professions. LGB-affirmative counseling professionals are no longer without voice; however, the stories of navigating sexual orientation as counseling professionals have not be told or explored in any systematic way.  Deconstructing Heterosexism in the Counseling Professions uses the personal narratives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual counseling psychologists and counselor educators to deconstruct the heterosexist discourse in the counseling professions, envision a discourse of sexual orientation equity, and make practical suggestions for addressing sexual orientation in professional life. The narrative approach encompasses a diversity of stories and experiences including an emphasis on racial and cultural contexts. These narratives and their analyses serve as a means for the individual and collective self examination that is needed to move LGB affirmative practice, training, and scholarship from the margins to the center of what it means to be a counseling professional.

Key Features:

• Rather than a focus on "how to", the focus is on stimulating collective and individual self examination and providing empowerment and guidance to counseling professions in navigating sexual orientation in one′s professional life.

• This book exposes and challenges the heterosexist discourse in the counseling professions AND examines how to build the strength and complexity of the current LGB affirmative counter discourse in the counseling professions.

 • The chapters in the second section of the book provide unique treatments of difficult issues for counseling professionals concerning sexual orientation:  tensions between race and sexual orientation, and issues around openness versus other ways to manage a minority sexual identity.

• The book is authored by over 30 counseling professionals and contains narratives about the experiences of over 20 professionals, many of whom are well-known in the LGB affirmative counseling and in the larger fields of counseling psychology and counselor education. 

Deconstructing Heterosexism in the Counseling Professions will be essential reading for graduate students, practitioners, and faculty who are interested in issues of sexual orientation and are in counseling psychology and/or the many sub-specialties of counseling. It will also be of interest to counseling professionals whose primary interest may lie in other issues of diversity, particularly the multicultural and feminist professional communities.

Julianne S. Lark holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University and has ten years of experience as a clinician. She is currently in independent practice and engages in clinical and advocacy work as an out lesbian. She co-teaches a graduate course on LGB issues in counseling and development. She has co-authored 9 journal articles and serves as an Ad Hoc reviewer for The Counseling Psychologist.

Melissa A. Lidderdale has a Masters’ Degree in Community Counseling from the University of Akron and is currently a doctoral student at Western Michigan University. Her areas of special interest/experience include counseling LGB clients; intersections of multiple oppressed identities; client perception of counseling outcome; and counselor supervision and education. She has worked in college and/or university counseling centers and has co-taught courses on LGB concerns for counseling and psychology graduate students. Melissa is a Trustee on the Executive Board of the Association for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Counseling (a Division of ACA) and has given 15 presentations at national, regional, and state professional conferences. She has authored one publication on training practitioners to work with LGB clients.

Y. Barry Chung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University. His specialties include: career development and counseling, multicultural issues, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual studies. He has edited one book and published more than 30 journal articles and book chapters. He has served on the editorial boards of The Counseling Psychologist, The Career Development Quarterly, and Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development.