Post by eccentric on Dec 7, 2015 19:36:42 GMT
This is an interesting area of work particularly with young people. Statistically 1 in 2 young people who have concerns about their sexuality self harm. Many young people are either confused about sexual orientation or if they do know that they are Lesbian, Gay, Bi, or Trans this in itself is likely to cause them great distress even if there is no bullying at school the issue of disclosing to parents, family and friends often causes extreme anxiety as does coming to terms with being what they perceive is 'different' As a therapist it is vital when working with young people or others of all ages to approach with great sensitivity - normalisation in a therapeutic setting can enable a client to experiment and discover normalisation in the wider world and give the confidence to test that out.
Therapists of 30 years ago in many case still used a model which assumed that sexuality was based on nurture and that it was a deviation or a behavioural disorder. Those who undertook behaviour modification or conversion therapy were often left with low self esteem, guilt and shame and were pressurised into heterosexual relationships which they later found that they could not sustain. Many brutal methods were used such as electric shock treatment to the genitals, lobotomies, nausea inducing drugs and masturbatory reconditioning despite the fact that it was widely recognised that they were generally unsuccessful.
There are still a large number of religious organisations and like minded therapists who believe that they have a right to dictate another's sexual orientation according to their beliefs despite the fact that the human rights act and the discrimination act should protect individuals from bigotry so the practices of 30 years ago continue to be rife in society.
Therapists of 30 years ago in many case still used a model which assumed that sexuality was based on nurture and that it was a deviation or a behavioural disorder. Those who undertook behaviour modification or conversion therapy were often left with low self esteem, guilt and shame and were pressurised into heterosexual relationships which they later found that they could not sustain. Many brutal methods were used such as electric shock treatment to the genitals, lobotomies, nausea inducing drugs and masturbatory reconditioning despite the fact that it was widely recognised that they were generally unsuccessful.
There are still a large number of religious organisations and like minded therapists who believe that they have a right to dictate another's sexual orientation according to their beliefs despite the fact that the human rights act and the discrimination act should protect individuals from bigotry so the practices of 30 years ago continue to be rife in society.