Counseling Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Substance Abusers: Dual Identities

Better understand and successfully treat LGBT substance abusers!

This completely revised edition of the groundbreaking 1987 volume is about what it means to have dual identities: to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and to be a substance abuser in a hostile world. Written with a minimum of jargon so as to be understandable to beginners, this vital book contains information that will be extremely valuable to experts as well. Counseling Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Substance Abusers: Dual Identities is the only book that deals specifically with the interface between being LGBT and substance abuse. It examines ways to help this population, including special treatment issues, stages of identity transformation, counseling approaches, and resources.

This book gives practical suggestions for helping clients, including what questions to ask them and what issues may arise in treatment, so that you’ll know what to expect as well as how to deal with the sensitive issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation. It provides a way to conceptualize many issues and practical problems that come up in treatment and gives you a vocabulary for discussing issues with patients struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, it looks at multiple oppressions such as racism, sexism, classism, and the interplay among these experiences, and it clarifies the complex interactions among gender identity, sexual orientation, and substance abuse.

This vital book:

• provides information to trainers and educators
• can be given to patients--its jargon-free language is appropriate for a lay audience as well as professionals
• examines ways for counselors to assess their performance
• includes an organization audit so agencies can evaluate their programs
• presents the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and other information that can help patients exploring these issues

This edition is an almost complete rewrite of the original, updated with current information about bisexual and transgender substance abusers, LGBT substance abuse, up-to-date resources, a glossary, and much more extensive, updated definitions. Counseling Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Substance Abusers: Dual Identities is the single source you need to work most effectively with this misunderstood population!