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Counseling issues with gay and lesbian adolescents

Adolescence, Winter, 1996 by Janet H. Fontaine, Nancy L. Hammond

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As noted earlier, many adolescents who question their sexual orientation will not develop a gay or lesbian identity. This confusion may be initiated by such behaviors as deviation from traditional gender roles, the occurrence of same-gender sexual fantasies, and/or attractions and incidents of same-gender sexual contact. The subsequent homosexual "panic" these behaviors can generate needs to be assessed within the context of the behavioral precipitants and the identity stages outlined earlier. The apparent fact that same-sex sexual behavior is relatively common (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948) should also be kept in mind.

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Adolescent emotional liability and the very lack of accurate information about homosexuality often exacerbates an adolescent's fear. However, to dismiss the fantasies and the same-sex intimate behavior with an explanation that it is a "phase," or to prematurely foreclose on an adolescent's acceptance of his or her own gay or lesbian identity, are equally invalid and harmful courses of action. Again, assisting teens to explore their prior sexual attractions and fantasies, differentiating between sexual orientation and gender roles, and providing literature to assist in the exploration of these questions can normalize the process and diminish their reactive fear. Above all, counselors need to recognize that for many teens, sexuality is an area of flux, and the process of arriving at an established sexual orientation can take months or years.

Sexual orientation includes a complex set of components. Coleman (1990) utilizes a nine-item questionnaire to help clients gain an appreciation for the complexity of sexual orientation, as well as assess various aspects of their current status. Clients respond to items that question, for example, to whom one is attracted and which sex one fantasizes or dreams about, utilizing a five-point scale from male to female. Adolescents can also benefit from differentiating between such issues as sexual preference and gender role, since many believe that gay males are effeminate and lesbians masculine (Paroski, 1990).

Hindrances to Treatment

Because of the current stigma surrounding everything associated with homosexuality, it is unlikely that the majority of affected adolescents will present themselves for treatment with issues related to their sexual identity. Coleman and Remafedi (1989) believe that most teenagers, even those seriously questioning their sexual identity, will identify as heterosexual until there is compelling evidence to the contrary. One study found that 40% of homosexual adolescent males interviewed had sought prior psychiatric treatment, but did not necessarily disclose their sexual orientation at the time (Remafedi, 1987a). More likely, [TABULAR DATA FOR TABLE 1 OMITTED] gay and lesbian adolescents maintaining their "secret" will be mixed among those in treatment through two sources: Those mandated by legal or institutional authorities (e.g., runaways, substance abusers, truants), and those seeking services for more traditional psychological problems (e.g., depression, school phobia, suicide attempts). It is only with an awareness of sexual orientation as a possible precipitator of unacceptable or apparently pathological behavior that the sensitive service provider can choose to explore sexual orientation.

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Counseling issues with gay and lesbian adolescents

Adolescence, Winter, 1996 by Janet H. Fontaine, Nancy L. Hammond

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