Teaching LGBTQ Psychology: Queering Innovative Pedagogy and Practice

This book is a theoretical and practical guide for individuals who teach and train about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) psychology in diverse groups and settings.

All instructional environments should be safe places to engage in exploration and active learning. How instructors address LGBTQ identities is critical for the education of all learners, whether or not the primary subject matter is sexual orientation and/or gender diversity. Each chapter approaches sexual and gender diversity from a resilience, wellness-focused framework, with the overall goal of furthering social justice for LGBTQ individuals.

Balancing the conceptual literature with practical examples and case illustrations, the collection features:

• A review of ethical guidelines, laws, and practice standards related to LGBTQ rights and professionals’ obligations
• Innovative teaching techniques, activities, and strategies to understand and reduce minority stress and marginalization
• Tips for scaffolding students’ knowledge regarding identity development
• Examples of how to support clinical trainees’ skill development in working with LGBTQ clients
• Useful tools for LGBTQ education in the community, including health care settings, schools, businesses and government agencies, and religious organizations

Other specific topics covered include:

• affirmative language and terminology
• coming out issues; classroom and behavioral management strategies
• intervention and prevention efforts relevant to LGBTQ communities
• the impact of history, identity, culture, and community on various aspects of functioning for LGBTQ individuals

Theodore R. Burnes, PhD, MSEd, is an associate professor and the director of the LGBT specialization of Antioch University’s clinical psychology master’s program. He has constructed, facilitated, and evaluated undergraduate and graduate coursework in psychology, Black studies, writing, LGBT studies, poetry, women’s studies, teacher education, and counseling in university settings for 15 years. He has been in directorial positions in both master’s and doctoral programs in applied psychology for more than six years. He is also a staff psychologist and the coordinator of continuing education for the Los Angeles Gender Center, a nonprofit organization that provides training around the country on best practices for supporting and affirming transgender and gender nonconforming individuals in clinical practice and other mental health work in mental health agencies, hospitals, schools, and university counseling centers. Dr. Burnes is a licensed psychologist and a licensed professional clinical counselor in private practice in Los Angeles. His professional expertise focuses on teaching pedagogy, LGBTQI individuals’ mental health and wellness, accreditation and licensure in professional counseling and applied psychology, sexuality and sex-positivity, and clinical supervision. He provides consultation and training for educational institutions. Dr. Burnes’s teaching evaluations consistently document his energy; high expectations of students; creativity in designing learning assignments; and skill in navigating difficult dialogues about race, sexuality, and gender.

Jeanne L. Stanley, PhD, MSEd, is the executive director of Watershed Counseling and Consultation Services, LLC. She conducts training around the country on best practices for supporting and affirming LGBTQ individuals. She is also a licensed psychologist in private practice in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia and has been on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. There, she was the director of the master’s program in psychological services at the Graduate School of Education, founded and directed the Penn Center for Continuing Education for Counseling and Psychology, and taught more than 50 graduate courses in counseling psychology. Dr. Stanley currently holds the position of adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. She was also the director of the Bryson Institute of the Attic Youth Center, where she provided hundreds of trainings on the best practices for supporting LGBTQI youth in schools, universities, and religious communities. Her clinical, training, and research specialties focus on the intersection of individuals’ sociocultural identities (including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, religion, and disability), supporting and affirming LGBTQI individuals, expanding individuals’ talents and strengths in work teams, procuring accreditation and licensure in counseling, and group dynamics in academic and business systems. She also provides consultation and training for companies and educational institutions as well as jury consulting for law firms. Dr. Stanley is also the founder and executive director of Grad School Coaching, LLC, where she assists students in applying and gaining admittance to, as well as completing, graduate programs.