Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Today’s society is characterized by a variety of diversity areas, which must be taken into account in counseling. The presentation prepared by Garzon (2010) contains several points regarding the issue that I find crucial. First of all, the LGBTQ+ community has been severely ostracized by groups attributing themselves to the Christian church. Such a negative attitude toward these people was allegedly justified by Biblical principles regulating interpersonal relations and kinship. However, the Scripture directly promotes equal love among all people: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (Holy Bible, 2006, John 13:34). Secondly, LGBTQ+ community members face an array of challenges, which are not seen by the rest of the population. Garzon (2010) states that homophobia, increased suicide rate, fear of coming out, and rejection are some of the critical issues of the community. Finally, gay-affirmative treatment, which aims at ensuring the clients’ comfort in terms of their sexual orientation and self-acceptance, is a widely accepted practice (Garzon, 2010). Nevertheless, there are still debates regarding this approach despite its evident advantages for the community.

As far as I am concerned, the presentation brings up an important topic directly related to LGBTQ+ counseling. Indeed, such people have been treated poorly by several religious groups, which are not exclusively Christian. In this case, the Bible, along with other sacred books, has a one-sided interpretation, attempting to justify the ostracism. At the same time, other parts of the Scripture serve to prove the opposite point of view, i.e., universal love, tolerance, and acceptance. Garzon (2010) provided useful insight into the nature of homophobia, too, by proclaiming it unjustified fears deriving from others’ sexualities. I found this passage quite educational, as it emphasized that homophobia implies more than worries regarding unwanted advances from a same-sex person.

In my opinion, LGBTQ+ counseling is an important area of therapy, and it requires a particular approach. The necessity is caused by unique unfortunate aspects of these people’s lives, which must be addressed in therapy. According to Grzanka and Miles (2016), LGBT-affirmative therapy implies that counselors should affirm their clients’ sexuality and conduct treatment in light of it. Gay-affirmative therapy is opposed to the obsolete views, according to which homosexuality was a temporary state that should be changed. In addition, this kind of therapy allows for a more in-depth examination of the clients’ issues. This way, the process should become more effective, as it is comprehensive in terms of encompassing all relevant aspects of the client’s personality. Overall, I am convinced that gay-affirmative therapy is an efficient tool for working with the LGBTQ community.

References

Garzon, F. (2010). The lesbian & gay population. Liberty University.

Grzanka, P. R., & Miles, J. R. (2016). The problem with the phrase “intersecting identities”: LGBT affirmative therapy, intersectionality, and neoliberalism. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 13(4), 371–389. Web.

Holy Bible: New living translation. (2006). Tyndale House.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, September 25). Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queer-lgbtq-therapy-and-religious-impact/

Work Cited

"Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact." IvyPanda, 25 Sept. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/queer-lgbtq-therapy-and-religious-impact/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact'. 25 September.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact." September 25, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queer-lgbtq-therapy-and-religious-impact/.

1. IvyPanda. "Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact." September 25, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queer-lgbtq-therapy-and-religious-impact/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Queer (LGBTQ) Therapy and Religious Impact." September 25, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/queer-lgbtq-therapy-and-religious-impact/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1