Multiple perspectives for more in-depth personal and professional knowledge

Though much literature is devoted to treating GLBTQ individuals, relatively little has focused on working with their family members. Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out presents ten first-hand, in-depth personal and professional perspectives by educators, researchers, administrators, and practitioners discussing various ways of working with families of GLBT individuals. This valuable reference explores the latest research and current innovative therapeutic approaches to work effectively with this unique population.

Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out relies on the “inside out” experiences of professionals from multiple disciplines, showing us different ways of addressing their very special needs. The text focuses on working deeply with people through understanding their very particular situations and building whatever help they want around them. Broadly, the articles highlight the origins of our national family support groups, research, supervision, and the different models of treatment—individual, couple, and family. More specifically, discussions explore therapist training, effective resolution of conflict, loss for those mothers whose daughters now identify as transgender, the adoption of an ally identity, heterosexual bias in treatment, and various approaches for transgender clients, their partners and family members.

Specific topics in Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out include:

• systemic therapeutic approaches
  
• the beginnings and growth of support groups
  
• a qualitative study on mothers of transgender sons
  
• research on gay and lesbian stepparenting—highlighting the need to view the relationships beyond a heterosexist focus
  
• Sexual Orientation Matrix for Supervision (SOMS) as a starting point to begin examining attitudes, beliefs, skills and behaviors of both supervisor and trainee
  
• an interview with two sexologists, who insist that treatment with trans children and adolescents must be both family- and community-focused
  
• historical and therapeutic perspectives on working with transgender people, including the development of therapeutic models
  
• a moving personal account of a clinician grappling with her own uncertainties as she journeys her way through treatment with a young transgender client
  
  

Interventions with Families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People: From the Inside Out is a flexible and useful classroom text and reference for educators and students at every level, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers.