Psychotherapeutic Engagements With LGBTQ+ Patients and Their Families

In this episode, Philip Lance interviews Jack Drescher, a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who is an expert in psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients. The interview focuses on arecently published series articles关于同性恋心理健康在网上期刊的the American Psychiatric Association. The LGBT population group is heterogeneous, meaning that differences among the members of this group are as important as the similarities. In many ways, psychotherapy for this group does not differ from psychotherapy for heterosexual, gender conforming, and cisgender patients, however, concepts and considerations that arise in psychotherapy with LGBT patients can parallel issues that arise in psychotherapy with patients of other stigmatized minority groups. In this interview, the author discusses the concept of minority stress and its relationship with mental health conditions and reviews specific issues that may arise, including being in the closet, coming out of the closet, the psychotherapeutic search for “causes” of sexual orientation and gender identity, and therapist self-disclosure.

Philip Lance,Ph.D. is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Los Angeles. He can be reached atPhilipJLance@gmail.comand his website ishere.