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Counselling and psychotherapy, Sex and gender

Psychotherapy with lesbian and gay clients

In 1995 the Division of Counselling Psychology commissioned a study of psychologists' views and practices in working with lesbian and gay clients in psychotherapy. Martin Milton and Adrain Coyle prsent the key findings and offer some thoughts on future practice developments.

18 February 1998

British psychologists have paid relatively little attention to the issues involved in working with lesbian and gay clients in psychotherapeutic contexts. The British psychological literature on lesbian and gay issues has largely concentrated on the psychosocial difficulties of being lesbian or gay within a heterosexist society and the implications for psychological well-being (e.g. Kitzinger, 1991; Coyle, 1993; Kitzinger & Coyle, 1995; Kitzinger & Wilkinson, 1995; Rivers, 1995a, 1995b). It is only in recent years that British publications related to therapeutic practice with lesbians and gay men have started to appear (e.g. Hitchings, 1994; Ratigan, 1995; Davies & Neal, 1996; Milton, 1996).

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