Community Interventions for Sexual Disorder NOS Resources for people conflicted about sexual identit

1
Community Interventions for Sexual Disorder
NOS(Resources for people conflicted about sexual
identity)

• Trista L. Carr, M.A.
• Ward Davis
• Veronica Johnson, M.A.
• Regent University
• Psy 662 Community Psychology course Presentation
• 2007.Oct.02

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Common Mental Health Diagnoses Utilized

• 302.9 Sexual Disorder NOS
• Persistent and marked distress about sexual
  orientation
• Distressing pattern of repeated sexual
  relationships leading to feeling as if others are
  to be used
• 313.82 Identity Problem
• Uncertainty about multiple issues of identity
  e.g. sexual orientation and behavior, moral
  values, and group loyalties
• Vcodes such as
• V62.81 Relational Problem NOS
• V62.89 Religious or Spiritual Problem
• V62.89 Phase of Life Problem
• 309.4/.24/.28 Adjustment Disorder

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Community Concerns

• Sexual prejudice or discrimination
• Homophobia or homonegativity
• Internalized oppression
• Social stigma
• Victimization Hate crimes speech
• Leads to stress, depression, anger, etc.
• Effects last as long as 5 yrs following attack
• STI risks
• Homelessness meta-analysis by NGLTF shows 20-40
  of all homeless youth are LGTBQQ (Ray, 2006)

Bieschke, Perez, DeBord, 2007
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Local Community Exemplars

• Tidewater AIDS Community Taskforce (TACT)
  http//www.tact-online.com/Home.asp
• RAYN http//www.tact-online.com/Rayn.asp
• Old Dominion University Multicultural Student
  Services http//www.odu.edu/vhosts/studentservices
  /mss/index.html
• Hampton Roads Pride http//www.hamptonroadspride.o
  rg/cs/
• Equality Virginia http//www.equalityvirginia.org

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On-line Community Exemplars

• Q-Blogs http//www.q-blogs.com/
• InterstateQ http//www.interstateq.com/
• The Mpowerment Project http//www.cdc.gov/hiv/topi
  cs/prev_prog/rep/packages/mpower.htm
• People Can Change http//www.peoplecanchange.com/
• OutProud http//www.outproud.org
• The Ali Forney Center (for homeless youth)
  http//www.aliforneycenter.org/

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National Exemplars

• P.A.T.H. (Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality)
  http//www.pathinfo.org
• PFLAG (Parents, Friends, Family of Lesbians
  Gays) http//www.pflag.org
• PFOX (Parents Friends of Ex-Gays Gays)
  http//www.pfox.org
• GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
  Defamation) http//www.glaad.org
• Soulforce http//www.soulforce.org

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Sexual Disorder NOS Prevention

• Primary Prevention Helping healthy people stay
  healthy
• Talking openly about sex and sexual identity
  issues in appropriate contexts (e.g., in
  families, churches, youth groups, classrooms)
• Secondary Prevention Helping individuals at-risk
  for developing sexual identity conflict
• Providing extra guidance and support for
  individuals exhibiting signs of nascent or likely
  sexual identity conflict (e.g., mentoring,
  counseling, prosocial same-sex peer-related
  activities Boy/Girl Scouts, parental
  interventions)
• Tertiary Prevention Helping individuals
  experiencing sexual identity conflict
• Offering interventions appropriate interventions
  (e.g., those interventions outlined in this
  presentation)

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Paraprofessional and Ministry-Based
Interventions

• Churches
• Safe churches (traditional perspective)
• GLBT-affirmative churches (progressive
  perspective)
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Ex-gay and neutral organizations
• GLBT-affirmative organizations

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Paraprofessional and Ministry-Based
Interventions

• Churches
• Safe churches for individuals to explore
  same-sex attractions, receive support, and
  facilitate decision-making from a
  traditional/orthodox perspective
• Hope Community Church (Newport News, VA)
• Freedom Fellowship (Virginia Beach, VA)
• Vineyard Christian FellowshipAnaheim
  (Anaheim/L.A., CA)
• Mars Hill (Grand Rapids, MI)
• First Baptist Church of Woodstock (Woodstock, GA)
• Churches from the Exodus Church Network

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Paraprofessional and Ministry-Based
Interventions

• Churches
• GLBT-affirmative churches for individuals to
  integrate same-sex attractions into a gay
  Christian identity and receive support from a
  progressive perspective
• New Life Metropolitan Community Church of Hampton
  Roads
• All Gods Children Community Church
• Saint Joan of Arc United American Catholic Church
• The Great Awakening United Church of Christ
• Warwick United Church of Christ
• Agape International Spiritual Center (Los
  Angeles, CA)
• Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) Worldwide

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Paraprofessional and Ministry-Based
Interventions

• Non-Profit Organizations
• Ex-Gay and Neutral Organizations
• Exodus International / Exodus Global Alliance
• National Association for Research Therapy of
  Homosexuality (NARTH)
• Desert Stream Ministries
• Courage (Catholic)
• Evergreen International (Latter Day Saints /
  Mormon)
• Homosexuals Anonymous (Non-Denominational)
• JONAH (Jewish)
• P.A.T.H. (Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality)
• People Can Change (Non-Religious)
• (For others, see notes below)

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Paraprofessional and Ministry-Based
Interventions

• Non-Profit Organizations
• GLBT-Affirmative Organizations
• Soulforce (www.soulforce.org)
• The Gay Christian Network (www.gaychristian.net)
• Christian Lesbians.com (www.christianlesbians.com)

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Professional Issues

• Highly polarized profession (Morson McInnis,
  1983, Liszcz Yarhouse, 2005)
• APA Ethics code allows for client
  self-determination autonomy (APA, 1992)
• Key is to provide neutrality support

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Professional Groups

• Yarhouse Sexual Identity Groups
  http//www.sexualidentityinstitute.org
• Beckstead Empowerment Workshopshttp//www.glbtccu
  .org/
• Hallman Process Groupshttp//www.janellehallman.c
  om/

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Discussion/Comments?

• How can the Church as a whole help individuals
  experiencing an internal conflict related to
  their faith and experiences of SSA?
• Other thoughts?

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References

• American Psychological Association (1992).
  Ethical principles of psychologists and code of
  conduct. American Psychologist, 47(12),
  1597-1611.
• Bieschke, K. J., Perez, R. M, DeBord, K. A.
  (2007). Handbook of Counseling and Psychotherapy
  with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual , and Transgender
  Clients 2nd Edition. Washington DC American
  Psychological Association
• Liszcz, A. M. Yarhouse, M. A. (2005). A survey
  on views of how to assist with coming out as gay,
  changing same-sex behavior or orientation, and
  navigating sexual identity confusion. Ethics
  Behavior, 15, 159-179.
• Morson, T. McInnis, R. (1983). Sexual identity
  issues in group work Gender, social sex role,
  and sexual orientation considerations. Social
  Work with Groups, 6, 67-77.
• Ray, N. (2006). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and
  transgender youth An epidemic of homelessness.
  New York National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
  Policy Institute and the National Coalition for
  the Homeless.