Ethics in Therapy for LGBT Clients

Therapy has been one of the most powerful aspects of my life. Through guided therapy, I have developed new life skills that have made my life easier to manage, in both my highest moments and my lowest moments. While I certainly do not believe therapy is the end-all be-all nor do I believe it is for everyone, I do believe it is effective in many cases.

Lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and otherwise classified "queer" people often need therapy. This has to do with, in short, the sociological adversities our gender identity or sexual orientation brings us. We face discrimination and hate, often in the name of religion and Godliness.

My friend, who is an activist and powerful voice in the community both personally and digitally, decided to take to Facebook yesterday to discuss the importance of trans inclusion in feminism. Many people chimed in with support, which it was not subject to debate, but one specific commenter decided to dissent. That did not go over well for this commenter. If you do not follow Roni Dean-Burren on Facebook, you should. You can also check her out on Twitter @Roni_Dean or her website www.ronideanburren.com.

It started out simply enough:

NOTE: Roni intended to space between trans and women but forgot to do so and is currently unable to edit the post due to a Facebook temporary ban.

This is when Melissa Pulido, an alleged student going to school for mental health work, decided to chime in uninvited.

Now, if you are trans, or are an activist to transgender people, you understand why this comment is problematic. But naturally, as it usually does, the situation gets worse.

Pulido is clearly uninformed about the nature of the sociological people in the transgender community face. Suicide is a factor in the transgender culture but it is not because they are transgender. It is because of the stigma and discrimination with being transgender. It is because of the discrimination and disparate treatment of being transgender. But not for being transgender itself. Also, she referred to transgender as a "lifestyle choice".

Let's talk about lifestyle choices.

A diet is a lifestyle choice. Fashion is a lifestyle choice. The way you spend your money is a lifestyle choice. Your hobbies are lifestyle choices. Gender identity nor sexual orientation is a lifestyle choice. 

As if it wasn't bad enough, it got worse above. Here, Pulido takes it another level. Now, she is no longer spewing ignorance, she is now claiming she is studying the subject of mental health. And because of her studies, she has determined in her "expert opinion", that gays and transgender people all have deep "seated" [sic] issues and that is why they are the way they are. She also referred to these orientations and identities as "unresolved issues."

As the conversation ran on, I wanted to know more about Pulido. I asked if she was a licensed mental health professional of any capacity to which she said no, that she is working on becoming one. Which is interesting because she claimed she already worked with patients and that was why she was more informed on the subject matter than myself, a gay man. (Interesting how that works isn't it?)

Now, if that wasn't troubling enough, this was probably the comment that truly ruffled my feathers.

If I, a gay man, do not like her opinion, I need to not worry about it because she is working on her degree? Actually, that is all the more reason I need to worry about it. Someone like her should not be anywhere near LGBTQ clients. In any capacity. 

A quick Google search led me to Pulido's LinkedIn profile. She claimed on her profile she was studying at Lone Star College CyFair. 

I am not about to tolerate someone like her completing a psychology program with that kind of ill-informed rhetoric being thrown around. So, I e-mailed the Dean of the program snapshots of her commentary and included all of my contact information. Should I get a response, I will share that on this blog.

Why is this important? With people like Mike Pence advocating for dangerous, out-dated and failed therapies like conversion therapy, it is all the more important that we have only ethically trained, licensed therapists performing therapy of LGBTQ clients.

Therapy, as I referenced before, can be extremely helpful and transformative. However, if applied unethically, or ill-informed, it can be dangerous and induce trauma that may never be fully reversed.

Much love,

ArchAngel O:)