Study Notes on Christian Therapists Working with LGBTQ Clients

Article Citation

  • Journal of Psychology and Theology 2024, Vol. 52(3) 311–325

  • Authors: Cailey B. Clarke, Samuel Berg, and Margaret Allison Clarke

  • DOI: 10.1177/00916471231221106

  • Abstract: Investigates internal conflicts Christian therapists face with LGBTQ clients.

Key Concepts

1. Internal Conflicts of Christian Therapists

  • Overview: Research shows how Christian therapists navigate internal conflicts when assisting LGBTQ clients.

  • Impact of Beliefs: Therapists must recognize their beliefs to avoid biases impacting treatment.

2. LGBTQ Clients' Mental Health Risks

  • LGBTQ individuals frequently face stigma leading to higher risks of mental health issues.

  • Studies cited (Budge et al., 2017; Diamond & Shpigel, 2014; Ellis et al., 2020) demonstrate issues such as anxiety, depression, and chronic illness linked with rejection and discrimination.

3. Affirming Spectrum

  • Definition: A continuum of acceptance from non-affirming to fully affirming.

  • Derived from McCormick and Baldridge (2019): Acceptance often varies and is dynamic rather than fixed.

4. Affirming Practice

  • Refers to therapeutic approaches validating LGBTQ identities as positive and healthy as heterosexual identities (Davies, 1996).

5. Therapeutic Alliance and Biases

  • Strong therapeutic relationships require acknowledgment and management of personal biases from therapists, particularly those with conservative viewpoints regarding gender and sexuality.

  • Therapists must prioritize the mental health of LGBTQ clients over their personal beliefs to establish a beneficial therapeutic alliance.

6. Ethics and Christian Therapists

  • Ethical codes demand therapists limit negative impacts from personal beliefs to accommodate clients' needs (Dessel et al., 2017).

  • Conflict arises when personal beliefs contradict professional responsibilities, especially regarding LGBTQ identities.

Literature Review

1. Mental Health Risks

  • LGBTQ individuals are more prone to:

    • Psychological distress

    • Suicidality

    • Substance abuse

    • Higher rates of homelessness and poverty.

  • Discrimination and minority stress are central causes of these disparities.

2. Microaggressions

  • Defined as subtle, often unintentional negative remarks or behaviors towards marginalized groups (Shelton & Delgado-Romero, 2011).

  • Keynotes:

    • Microaggressions can be delivered by well-meaning individuals and still cause harm.

    • Result in emotional issues including anger and lowered self-esteem in recipients.

3. Positive and Negative Therapy Experiences

A. Negative Experiences

  • Common negative experiences reported by LGBTQ clients include:

    • Therapists framing LGBTQ identities as problems.

    • Poor communication and lack of respect.

    • Pathologizing LGBTQ behaviors (Israeli et al., 2008).

B. Positive Experiences

  • Positive therapy includes:

    • Affirmative practices and effective communication.

    • A supportive and understanding environment leads to better outcomes (Ellis et al., 2020).

Research Methodology

  • Study Type: Qualitative research combining narrative inquiry with grounded theory (Lal et al., 2012).

  • Participants: Five Canadian Protestant Christian therapists sharing experiences with LGBTQ clients.

  • Data Collection: Semi-structured online interviews lasting 60-90 minutes focusing on:

    • Queer experiences of clients
      o Iterpersonal conflicts, and professional backgrounds.

Findings

1. Themes Identified

  • Ethics: Most therapists consider ethical codes as advisory rather than binding.

  • Work with LGBTQ Clients: Guidelines differ based on where therapists fall on the affirming spectrum.

  • Preparation: Participants report insufficient educational readiness for working with LGBTQ clients.

  • Internal Narratives: Religious teachings significantly influence therapy practices, often leading to internal conflicts.

  • Language Usage: The significance of affirming language in therapy practices.

2. Internal Experiences of Therapists

  • Participants reported varying levels of inner conflict:

A. Affirming Responses

  • Therapists finding resolution through empathy and recognizing clients as deserving love and respect, irrespective of identities.

  • Shift in belief systems promotes acceptance and deeper understanding of LGBTQ struggles.

B. Non-affirming Responses

  • Struggles with accepting non-heteronormative client identities hinder therapeutic relationships.

Recommendations

  1. Therapist Education: Need for inclusion on LGBTQ issues and ethics in counseling curricula.

  2. Therapist Preparedness: Regular training on non-discrimination policies and affirming practices to ensure ethical treatment.

  3. Self-awareness: Implement self-reflection practices to assess personal biases and their effects on therapy.

Limitations of the Study

  • Homogeneity of participants (White Canadians raised in evangelical backgrounds) limits generalizability of results to broader populations.

  • Absence of client feedback on therapy outcomes could alter the interpretation of findings.

Future Research Directions

  • Investigate LGBTQ clients' perspectives on therapists' affirmations and practices.

  • Further studies on educational differences between seminaries and public universities in preparing therapists for LGBTQ support.

  • Explore eventual trends of diminishing conflict among therapists concerning LGBTQ issues alongside changing societal values.

For your essay, the provided article, "Internal Conflicts Christian therapists face with LGBTQ clients" by Clarke, Berg, and Clarke (2024), is an excellent peer-reviewed source demonstrating the importance of introspection and self-awareness for counselors. Here's a breakdown of how you can integrate it into your required subheadings:

Introduction

  • Briefly introduce the topic of how personal values influence counseling practice and the critical role of self-exploration. You can allude to the complexities therapists face, especially when their values might conflict with client identities, which the article directly addresses.

Literature Review

  • Citation: Start by citing the article formally:

    • Clarke, C. B., Berg, S., & Clarke, M. A. (2024). Internal Conflicts Christian therapists face with LGBTQ clients. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 52(3), 311–325. DOI: 10.1177/00916471231221106

  • Key Argument/Benefit of Self-Awareness: Synthesize the article's core findings about why self-awareness is crucial for counselors, especially those with strong personal beliefs.

    • Emphasize the Overview under "Key Concepts" regarding how Christian therapists navigate internal conflicts with LGBTQ clients.

    • Discuss how the article demonstrates the need for therapists to recognize their beliefs to avoid biases impacting treatment (from "Impact of Beliefs").

    • Highlight that strong therapeutic relationships require acknowledgment and management of personal biases by therapists, particularly those with conservative viewpoints (from "Therapeutic Alliance and Biases").

    • Mention that ethical codes demand therapists limit negative impacts from personal beliefs to accommodate clients' needs, and how conflict arises when personal beliefs contradict professional responsibilities (from "Ethics and Christian Therapists").

My Values

  • This section is personal to you and will not directly use the article. However, the article provides a robust framework for why examining your values (e.g., religious, moral) is essential, especially when they might differ from clients'.

Potential Blindspots

  • Use the article to illustrate how personal values, if not introspected, can lead to blind spots and negatively impact clients.

    • Internal Conflicts: Refer to "Internal Conflicts of Christian Therapists" and "Internal Narratives" in the "Findings" section, showing how religious teachings can significantly influence therapy and lead to conflicts if not managed.

    • Negative Client Experiences: Cite the "Literature Review" section on Negative Experiences to provide examples of how some therapists—potentially due to unexamined biases stemming from their values—have:

    • Framed LGBTQ identities as problems.

    • Engaged in poor communication and lack of respect.

    • Pathologized LGBTQ behaviors (Israeli et al., 2008).

    • Microaggressions: Explain how microaggressions (subtle negative remarks or behaviors) can stem from unexamined biases related to personal values, even from well-meaning individuals, causing harm such as anger and lowered self-esteem.

    • Non-affirming Responses: Discuss how struggles with accepting non-heteronormative client identities, driven by a therapist's personal values, can hinder therapeutic relationships (from "Non-affirming Responses" under "Internal Experiences of Therapists").

Client Encounters

  • Encountering significantly different beliefs: This is where the article is highly relevant.

    • Ethical Dilemma: Use "Ethics and Christian Therapists" to explain that therapists must prioritize the mental health of LGBTQ clients over their personal beliefs to establish a beneficial therapeutic alliance.

    • Affirming Practice: Emphasize the concept of "Affirming Practice" which validates LGBTQ identities as positive and healthy. This is the ethical way to proceed when values differ.

    • Therapist Journey: Reference "Affirming Responses" to show how some therapists navigate this conflict by finding resolution through empathy and recognizing clients as deserving love and respect, irrespective of identities, and by shifting their belief systems to promote acceptance.

    • Recommendations: Conclude by highlighting the Therapist Preparedness and Self-awareness recommendations from the study, stressing regular training on non-discrimination and self-reflection to manage biases during diverse client encounters.

  • Encountering similar beliefs: While the article primarily focuses on differences, you could briefly mention that even with similar beliefs, self-awareness is critical to avoid imposing one's worldview or assuming shared understanding, ensuring the client's unique experience is still centered.

Faith Perspective

  • While the article discusses Christian therapists, it does not provide specific biblical passages. This section will require you to integrate your biblical research. However, the article sets the stage by illustrating the internal conflicts Christian therapists face when their religious teachings influence their practices, especially with LGBTQ clients, thereby underscoring the need for a clear faith perspective on engaging with difference.

    • You can use the article to contextualize why scripture on engaging with differences is so important for a Christian counselor, especially given the challenges identified by the study participants regarding "Internal Narratives" and "Non-affirming Responses."

Remember to properly cite the article using APA in-text citations whenever you reference information from it throughout your essay.