• Concept of LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that stands for

lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.
The initialismLGBT is intended to
emphasize a diversity of sexuality and
gender identity-based cultures and is
sometimes used to refer to anyone who is
non-heterosexual or non cisgender instead
of exclusively to people who are lesbian,
gay, bisexual, or transgender.
 To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for
those who identify as queer and/or are questioning their sexual
identity as LGBTQ, recorded since 1996. Whether or
not LGBT people openly identify themselves may depend on whether
they live in a discriminatory environment, as well as the status of
LGBT rights where one lives. Before the sexual revolution of the
1960s, there was no common non-derogatory vocabulary for non
heterosexuality; the closest such term, "third gender", traces back to
the 1860s but never gained wide acceptance in the United States. The
first widely used term, homosexual, was thought to carry negative
connotations and tended to be replaced by homophile in the 1950s
and 1960s, and subsequently gay in the 1970s.
• As lesbians forged more public identities, the phrase "gay and lesbian" became more common. Lesbians
who held a more essentialist view that they had been born homosexual and used the descriptor “lesbian”
to define sexual attraction, often considered the separatist, angry opinions of lesbian-feminists to be
detrimental to the cause of gay rights. This was soon followed by bisexual and transgender people also
seeking recognition as legitimate categories within the larger community.
LGBTIQ+acronym
for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer. The
plus sign represents people with diverse sexual orientation,
gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics who
identify using other terms.
GAY
men whose enduring romantic, emotional and/or physical
attraction is to men; also, women who are attracted to other
women
INTERSEX
people born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical
definitions of male and female bodies. Intersex is an umbrella
term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations.
There are more than 40 intersex variations; experts estimate
between 0.5 per cent and 1.7 per cent of the population is born
with intersex traits.
LESBIAN
woman whose enduring romantic, emotional and/or
physical attraction is to women.
BISEXUAL
person who has the capacity for romantic,
emotional and/or physical attraction to people
of more than one gender.
TRANS/TRANSGENDER
terms used by some people whose gender identity
differs from what is typically associated with the sex
they were assigned at birth. Trans, transgender and
non-binary are umbrella terms representing a variety
of words that describe an internal sense of gender
that differs from the sex assigned at birth and/orthe
gender attributed to the individual by society, whether
that individual identifies as a man, a woman, or in
transition, simply “trans” or “transgender”, with
another gender or with no gender.
QUEER
traditionally a negative term, it has been reclaimed by some people and is
considered inclusive of a wide range of diverse sexual orientations, gender
identities and expressions. It may be used as an umbrella term for people with
diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex
characteristics (SOGIESC) , or as an alternative to the phrase “people with
diverse SOGIESC” or the acronym LGBT. Queer is used by many people who
feel they do not conform to a given society’s economic, social and political
norms based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender
expression.
 Some Basic Terms
SEX
The clas­si­fi­ca­tion of a per­son as male or female. At birth, babies are assigned a sex that typ­i­cal­ly cor­re­sponds with their exter­nal
larg­er com­bi­na­tion of fac­tors, includ­ing their chro­mo­somes, genes, hor­mones, repro­duc­tive organs and sec­ondary sex characteris

GEN­DER
A social con­struct used to clas­si­fy a per­son as a man, woman or some oth­er iden­ti­ty. Fun­da­men­tal­ly dif­fer­ent from sex assigned a
a per­son plays or is expect­ed to play in society.

INTER­Sex

Describes a per­son born with sex char­ac­ter­is­tics that are not typ­i­cal for male or female bod­ies. Sex char­ac­ter­is­tics are
phys­i­cal fea­tures relat­ing to sex — includ­ing chro­mo­somes, gen­i­tals, hor­mones and oth­er repro­duc­tive anato­my — as
well as sec­ondary fea­tures that emerge from puber­ty. Inter­sex is an umbrel­la term, and inter­sex char­ac­ter­is­tics and traits
are not always appar­ent or iden­ti­fied at birth. The ​“I” in the longer ver­sion of LGBTQ (LGBTQIA+) stands for intersex.

GEN­DER EXPRESSION

How indi­vid­u­als com­mu­ni­cate their gen­der to oth­ers through their cloth­ing, speech, man­ner­isms and oth­er fac­
tors. Gen­der expres­sion is not the same thing as gen­der iden­ti­ty. A per­son can express one gen­der yet iden­ti­fy
with another.
QUES­TION­ING
Describes a per­son who is still dis­cov­er­ing and explor­ing their sex­u­al ori­en­ta­tion, gen­der iden­ti­ty, gen­der expres­sion
or some com­bi­na­tion there­of. Using this term enables an indi­vid­ual to iden­ti­fy as part of the LGBTQ com­mu­ni­ty
while avoid­ing oth­er labels and rec­og­niz­ing that their process of self-iden­ti­­fi­­ca­­tion is still underway.

ALLY
Describes a per­son who sup­ports, both pub­licly and pri­vate­ly, the LGBTQ com­mu­ni­ty and equal­i­ty in its many forms.
Het­ero­sex­u­al and cis­gen­der peo­ple can be allies, as well as indi­vid­u­als from with­in the LGBTQ community.
Sexual Orientation
An endur­ing emo­tion­al and/​or phys­i­cal attrac­tion (or non-attrac­­tion) to oth­er peo­ple. Sex­u­al ori­en­ta­tion is flu­id and encom­
pass­es a vari­ety of labels, includ­ing gay, les­bian, het­ero­sex­u­al, bisex­u­al, pan­sex­u­al.
Sexual identity is the personal and unique way that a person perceives his or her own sexual desires and sexual expressions

LES­BIAN
Describes a woman who is attract­ed, emo­tion­al­ly and/​or phys­i­cal­ly, to oth­er women. A woman does not need a spe­cif­ic sex­u­al
expe­ri­ence — or any sex­u­al expe­ri­ence — to iden­ti­fy as a lesbian.
GAY
Describes a per­son who is attract­ed, emo­tion­al­ly and/​or phys­i­cal­ly, to some­one of the same gen­der. The term can be used by
men, women or indi­vid­u­als who iden­ti­fy as non­bi­na­ry. A per­son does not need a spe­cif­ic sex­u­al expe­ri­ence — or any sex­u­al
expe­ri­ence — to iden­ti­fy as gay.
HETEROSEXUAL
Describes a per­son who is attract­ed — phys­i­cal­ly and emo­tion­al­ly — to indi­vid­u­als of the oppo­site sex. Oth­er­wise known as a
straight person.

BISEXUAL
Describes a per­son who is attract­ed to both men and women. A per­son does not need to have had spe­cif­ic sex­u­al expe­ri­ences
— or any sex­u­al expe­ri­ence — to iden­ti­fy as bisexual.
PANSEXUAL
Describes a per­son who is attract­ed to — or has the poten­tial to be attract­ed to — peo­ple of any gen­der or gen­der iden­ti­
ty. This attrac­tion can be emo­tion­al or physical.

ASEXUAL
Describes a per­son who is not sex­u­al­ly attract­ed to oth­ers and has no desire to engage in sex­u­al behav­ior. Asex­u­al­i­ty dif­
fers from celiba­cy in that a per­son who is celi­bate is sex­u­al­ly attract­ed to oth­ers but choos­es to abstain from sex. Some­
times, asex­u­al is abbre­vi­at­ed as ​“ace.”
 Gender Identity
Gender identity is the sense of self as male or female and does not refer to one’s sexual orientation or gender role. Gender
role describes the behaviours that are viewed as masculine or feminine by a particular culture.
CIS­GEN­DER
Describes a per­son whose gen­der iden­ti­ty match­es the sex — male or female — orig­i­nal­ly iden­ti­fied on their birth cer­tifi­cate
(i.e., peo­ple who are not trans­gen­der). Cis­gen­der, which is pro­nounced sis-gen­der, describes only a person’s gen­der iden­ti­ty —
not their sex­u­al or roman­tic attrac­tions. Some­times, cis­gen­der is abbre­vi­at­ed as ​“cis” in casu­al conversation.
TRANS­GEN­DER
Describes a per­son whose gen­der iden­ti­ty and/​or gen­der expres­sion do not match their assigned sex at birth. Trans­gen­der peo­
ple may be straight, les­bian, gay, bisex­u­al or queer.

TRANS­GEN­DER (OR TRANS) MAN

Describes a per­son who was assigned a female sex at birth but iden­ti­fies as male. This per­son may or may not active­ly
iden­ti­fy as trans.

TRANS­GEN­DER (OR TRANS) WOMAN

Describes a per­son who was assigned a male sex at birth but iden­ti­fies as female. This per­son may or may not active­ly
iden­ti­fy as trans.
TRAN­SI­TION
A com­plex process by which trans­gen­der peo­ple align their anato­my (med­ical tran­si­tion) and gen­der expres­sion (social tran­
si­tion) with their gen­der iden­ti­ty. Tran­si­tion­ing is a mul­ti­­ple-step process that occurs over a long peri­od of time. It can
include such steps as using a dif­fer­ent name, using new pro­nouns, dress­ing dif­fer­ent­ly, updat­ing legal doc­u­ments, hor­mone
ther­a­py and surgery. The exact steps involved in a person’s tran­si­tion varies.

TWO SPIR­IT
Describes a per­son who iden­ti­fies as hav­ing both a mas­cu­line and a fem­i­nine spir­it. It is used by some Native Amer­i­can and
Alas­ka Native peo­ple to describe their sex­u­al, gen­der and/​or spir­i­tu­al iden­ti­ty. It may encom­pass same-sex attrac­tion and
also include rela­tion­ships that could be con­sid­ered poly.
Problems Faced by LGBTQ
People
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people face tremendous
difficulties growing up in a society where heterosexuality is often
presented as the only acceptable orientation and homosexuality is
regarded as deviant. They continue to face discrimination and exclusion
across the world in all spheres of life. Homophobic violence and abuse
targeting LGBT people occur on a regular basis. In most EU Member
States, same-sex couples do not enjoy the same rights and protections
as opposite sex couples, and consequently suffer from discrimination
and disadvantage in access to social protection schemes, such as health
care and pensions. In the labour market, a majority of LGBT people
continue to hide their sexual orientation or to endure harassment out of
fear of losing their job.
1. Problem of Homelessness:–The myriad problems facing LGBT people who are homeless include a lack of
housing and services that meet their specific needs. For example: An estimated 40-50% of the homeless youth living
on New York City‘s streets identify as LGBT. They are living there because they were thrown out of their homes for
being queer, or ran away to escape an abusive situation. Family housing in the shelter system across the country is not
available for homeless same-sex couples. Transgender people are not allowed to choose with which gender they are
more comfortable living in the shelter system. Abuse and harassment of LGBT homeless people is rampant in the
shelter system. Most domestic violence shelters do not accept gay men or transgender8people. There has been also a
lack of any comprehensive plan for long-term housing for people with AIDS . Homeless LGBT youth are without
economic support, often engage in drug use and risky sexual behaviors, and often develop mental health disorders.
Homeless LGBT youth miss out on education and social support during critical formative years—more than half of
homeless LGBT youth report experiencing discrimination from peers.

2. Psychological Distress :-LGBT people face considerable levels of stigmatization, discrimination and
harassment in their daily lives. The majorities of LGBT people learn to cope with this, particularly when they have the
support of family and friends, and participate with LGBT organizations and social networks. However, a significant number
of LGBT people, most particularly younger LGBT people, had to cope with stigmatization, discrimination and harassment
without support. Many also faced additional stress from experiences such as very high levels of homophobic bullying in
schools and physical and verbal attacks. This had a negative impact on their mental health, leading to significant levels of
psychological distress, self-harm and suicidality. LGBT teenagers can be particularly isolated, given that many will be
exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity without any support. At this time of negotiating their journey to
adulthood, a critical period of social and emotional development, they can be particularly vulnerable.
Experiences that could negatively impact mental health:

*Hostility from or rejection by loved ones or religious groups

*Bullying at school, harassment by neighbors, danger of violence in public places
*Casual homophobic comments on everyday basis
*Prejudice/embarrassed response from professionals*No protection against discrimination at work, housing, pensions,
etc.
*Childhood sexual abuse
*Verbal harassment, greater fear of physical violence and discrimination.

3. Poor Economic Condition and Discrimination in the Workplace: In addition to

homophobia, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people confront racism and poverty on a daily basis. Discrimination
of LGBT persons in the workplace is a significant factor in the differences in socioeconomic status for LGBT persons. Gay
and transgender individuals suffer from socioeconomic inequalities in large part due to pervasive discrimination in the
workplace. Discrimination directly causes job instability and high turnover, resulting in greater unemployment and
poverty rates for gay and transgender people, as well as the wage gap between gay and straight. In her 1998 report,
̳Income Inflation: The Myth of Affluence Among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Americans‘, economist Lee Badgett12 notes
that LGBT people do not earn more than heterosexual people. Badgett points to the diversity of economic life among
LGBT populations, observing that in many cases, LGBT people earn less than their heterosexual counterparts.
4. Marginalization and Social Exclusion: Marginalization is at the
core of exclusion from fulfilling and full social lives at individual, interpersonal and
societal levels. People who are marginalized have relatively little control over their lives
and the resources available to them; they may become stigmatized and are often at the
receiving end of negative public attitudes. Their opportunities to make social
contributions may be limited and they may develop low self-confidence and self
esteem and may become isolated. Social policies and practices may mean they have
relatively limited access to valued social resources such as education and health
services ,housing, income, leisure activities and work. The impacts of marginalization,
in terms of social exclusion, are similar, whatever the origins and processes of
marginalization, irrespective of whether these are to be located in social attitudes (such
as towards impairment, sexuality, ethnicity and so on) or social circumstance (such as
closure of workplaces, absence of affordable housing and so on). LGBT individuals may
experience multiple forms of marginalization-such as racism, sexism, poverty or other
factors – alongside homophobia or transphobia that negatively impact on mental
health. The stigma attached to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression
that fall outside the expected heterosexual, non-transgender norm relegates many
LGBT people to the margins of society. This marginalization often excludes LGBT people
from many support structures, often including their own families, leaving them with
little access to services many others take for granted, such as medical care, justice and
legal services, and education. Marginalization and bias around sexual orientation and
gender identity and expression regularly prevent LGBT people from accessing
fundamental public services such as health care and housing and contributes to
significant health disparities.
5. Drug Addiction:-LGBT people are more likely to use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs than the general
population, are less likely to abstain, report higher rates of substance abuse problems, and are more likely to continue
heavy drinking into later life. LGBT‘s use alcohol, tobacco and other drugs for the same reasons as others, but their
likelihood for doing so is heightened by personal and cultural stresses resulting fromanti-gay bias. Reliance on bars for
socialization, stress caused by discrimination, and targeted advertising by tobacco and alcohol businesses in gay and
lesbian publications are all believed to contribute to increased pressures on LGBT individuals to engage in substance
abuse. Internalized homophobia is a form of self- limiting, self-loathing— an important concept to understand in
developing substance abuse services for this population.Anti-gay bias also results in frequent hate crimes aimed at LGBT
youths, adding further to the stress of homophobia and heterosexism (an assumption that heterosexuality is the
preferred norm for everyone.) Since the early 1980s ―AIDS-phobia‖—from both the outside world and as another form
of internalized negative self- perception— causes added stress for many LGBT individuals. Preventing Alcohol and Other
Drug Problems in the Lesbian Gay Community (published in 1995 for ―Alive With Pleasure,‖ a SAMHSA/CSAP-funded
conference on the topic) lists five substance abuse-specific risk factors for LGBT adolescents:
*Sense of self as worthless or bad.
*Lack of connectedness to supportive adults and peers.
*Lack of alternative ways to view ―differentness
*Lack of access to role models.
*Lack of opportunities to socialize with other gays/lesbians except bars.
*The risk of contracting HIV.
6. Victims of hate Crimes and Violence: Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender people and those perceived to be LGBT are
regularly targeted as victims of hate crimes and violence. LGBT people
experience stigma and discrimination across their life spans, and are
targets of sexual and physical assault, harassment and hate crimes.
Additional factors that may impact on mental health and well-being for
LGBT people include the process of ―coming out‖ (sharing one‘s LGBTQ
identity with others), gender transition, internalized oppression,
isolation and alienation, loss of family or social support, and the impact
of HIV and AIDS. However, LGBT individuals‘ experiences of violence and
discrimination differ depending on a number of factors including race,
gender, income, immigration status and language barriers. LGBT
immigrants are more likely to face violence based on race and ethnicity
and/or sexual identity and/or gender identity.
Significance of Crisis Counselling
A crisis is defined as a situation or event in which a person feels overwhelmed or has
difficulty coping. A crisis might be caused by an event such as the death of a family
member, the loss of a job, or the ending of a relationship. During such times people
experience a wide range of feelings, and each person's response to a crisis is different. It
is normal to feel frightened, anxious, or depressed at such a time.
Crisis counseling involves providing support and
guidance to an individual or a group of people such as a
family or community during a crisis. The purpose of crisis
counseling is to decrease emotional pain, provide
emotional support, make sure that the person in crisis is
safe, and help develop a plan for coping with the
situation. Sometimes it also involves connecting a person
to other community or health services that can provide
long-term support
• Crisis counseling can be linked to health education if it is used to
increase knowledge of how to avoid or cope with a crisis in the future
• It can also be used to change people's attitudes and beliefs about
people in crisis, and to provide people with information about help
available in their community.
• Public health professionals, for example, might educate a community
on how to cope with a natural disaster such as a hurricane or an
earthquake.
• Crisis counseling is also related to health promotion. People can be
taught useful skills that will help them to anticipate and cope with a
crisis. Skills, information, and support services gained through crisis
counseling can also help a person or a group of people to improve their
health and quality of life
What Are The Elements Of Crisis Counseling?
• Assess The Situation – This step involves the counselor listening to
the client, asking questions, and determining what the client needs
for support.
• Educate – Those dealing with a crisis often seek information about
their current condition and steps they can take to navigate through
the situation. A counselor will help address these concerns.
• Offer Support – Perhaps the most important element is offering
support. A counselor provides a safe space for receiving support,
stabilization, and resources.
• Develop Coping Skills – Along with providing support, a counselor
will assist the client in developing coping skills to help with the
current crisis and future situations.
The Counselor's Role
1.Listen to concerns
2.Assess safety needs
3.Protect rights and responsibilities of
client.
4.Build therapeutic relationship.
5.Putting objectives.
6.Speak clearly, in the present, about
the problem.
7.Take immediate, direct action to
restore mobility and equilibrium.
Suicide Prevention Among LGBTQ
Members
• RISK FACTORS
• Mental Illness: LGBTQ+ populations are 3 times more likely to
experience a mental illness
• Perceived burdensomeness and low sense of belongingness
• Stigma and discrimination
• Higher rates of victimization and trauma
• Rejection from family or friends
• Lethal means: LGBTQ+ populations are more likely to use firearms
when attempting suicide
Protective Factors
• Connection with mental health or substance use resources
• Connection with supportive faith-based organizations and other
communities
• Being accepted after coming out
• Social support (from family, friends, clubs)
• Sense of making a difference in the world (i.e., meaningful
employment, volunteering, mentoring)
• Coping, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills
• Positive role models
Suicide Intervention Among LGBTQ People
• Assess family dynamics: When discussing a support system, gain a
knowledge of family dynamics, as not all families are supportive of
the youth’s identity. Assess whether it is appropriate to recommend
seeking family support, and also, emphasize a “chosen family” rather
than “blood family.”
• Assess access to lethal means: Because LGBTQ+ individuals are more
likely to use firearms when attempting suicide than heterosexual
individuals, assess for access to lethal means and create a means
safety plan.
 Competence And Skills Required to
become and Affirmative Therapist
• EMPATHY is ability to understand and identify with another person's experiences, even if they do not describe their
thoughts or feelings explicitly to you. A good therapist can empathize with a wide variety of people, understanding their
choices and feelings even if, as a therapist, you do not agree with them. You will need to be emotionally attuned to
individuals' needs, and will also have to be able to help them identify and articulate their feelings. An angry person, for
example, might be struggling with feelings of inadequacy that fuel anger. A highly empathetic therapist will be better
equipped to detect this.
• LISTENING SKILLS In virtually all forms of therapy, you will need to actively listen to people, reflect their thoughts back to
them, and be able to remember important events and feelings that they convey to you. You will also need to pay
attention to what someone is not saying, and explore what that communicates. For example, a survivor of sexual assault
who never talks about his or her traumatizing experience might be telling you something through silence. If you are easily
bored by conversation or have a hard time allowing others to contribute to a conversation, being an effective therapist
may be challenging for you.
• PATIENCE Patience is not just a skill that is demanded by the field of psychology alone. Pretty much every field that you
can go into will have this requirement – especially at the initial stages, if not at the later stages. And the various demands
that life puts on you will also require some patience to deal with!
• OPEN MINDED APPROACH sychologists need to look at things from a variety of perspectives. It doesn’t do justice to a
particular question, idea, or thought if even before considering it completely, certain perspectives are ruled out in favour
of others. This open-mindedness is helpful in a lot of areas firstly, as a theoretical researcher, when a psychologist can
consider all the different perspectives that are important, and can truly build a unique viewpoint as a result.
Being an affirmative therapist involves:
• 1. Self-reflection – reflect on your own upbringing, attitudes and
beliefs; acknowledge areas of privilege; recognize bias stemming from
living in a heteronormative and gender-binaristic society.
• 2. Get involved – live an affirmative life; become familiar with the
issues; strive for social justice and social change.
• 3. Create an affirmative setting – provide LGBT friendly reading
material, literature and resources; include affirming language on all
paperwork; use client’s preferred name; don’t resort to
heteronormative assumptions , instead ask about a client’s partner
• 4. Be open about your commitment to providing affirmative therapy
with all clients, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity
• .5. With heterosexual and/or cisgender clients, act as an advocate by
challenging heterosexism and the gender binary.
Tips for Affirmative Therapists
• 1. Talk about your LGBTQ affirmative stance to colleagues, potential clients, family,
and friends.
• 2. Be aware of your own heteronormative and gender normative assumptions.
Challenge oppression.
• 3. Know the LGBTQ resources in your local community.
• 4. Acknowledge that each person has a unique story related to personal discovery
and disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
• 5. Know the differences between sexual orientation and gender identity
• 6. Using correct terminology. When in doubt about how to talk about identity, ask!
• 7. Ensure that intake forms include a blank option for gender and acknowledge
LGBTQ relationships.
• 8. Access LGBTQ affirmative continuing education trainings and
resources for clinical practice.
• 9. Include gay and lesbian literature in your waiting area.
• 10. Get involved in LGBTQ community events and activities.