Awareness of peer victimization and resilience among LGBT youth is important to the practice of competent school psychologists. Research illustrates the negative effects attributable to peer victimization and social risk. This paper highlights how building resiliency and fostering protective factors can help reduce peer victimization and its…

Research shows that teachers' and educators' responses to gender diversity issues in schools either improves or limits the experiences of students. The school counsellor has an important role to play in this process by working closely with other stakeholders to advocate for transgender, intersex and genderqueer (TIG) students. Following a review…

Transgender students have unique and intense needs to be addressed for a safer and more inclusive school experience. Experiencing harassment and feeling unsafe at school can lead to negative educational outcomes, such as depression, victimization, poor academic outcomes, substance abuse, school avoidance, risky sexual behavior, suicidal ideation,…

Transgender students are a marginalized group of students who are calling for recognition and acceptance of their identities. Although Title IX assures students of freedom from discrimination based on sexual identity, many schools are struggling with policies that adequately provide these protections. Based on a previous qualitative study…

Counselors and lesbian and gay clients experience parallel values conflicts between religious beliefs/spirituality and sexual orientation. This article uses critical thinking to assist counselors to integrate religious/spiritual beliefs with professional ethical codes. Clients are assisted to integrate religious/spiritual beliefs with sexual…

This article examines the impact of childhood sexual abuse on young adult lesbians' sexual identity and their recovery from chemical dependency. The authors recommend that counselors assess for sexual orientation (past and present), sexual abuse, and possible dual diagnosis. Implications for counselors are discussed.

Schools are places of learning and also miniature societies. The climate of a school has a direct impact on both how well students learn and how well they interact with their peers. Teachers and administrators work hard to make their classrooms welcoming places where each student feels included. But despite these efforts, students who are--or who…

This lead article of the special issue discusses conceptual and methodological considerations in studying sexual minority issues, particularly in research conducted by counseling psychologists (including the work represented in this special issue). First, the overarching challenge of conceptualizing and defining sexual minority populations is…

It is clear that internalized heterosexism (IH) is a core variable to which counseling psychologists must attend when working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals in research, clinical, and training settings. The content in this Major Contribution provides a compelling argument that IH is related to negative well-being in LGB…

Many African American women begin counseling stigmatized by race and gender and may be targets of additional discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, class, age, and other social variables. In this article, the authors discuss "womanist" spirituality as a means for African American women to cope with racism, sexism, and multiple social…

Counseling psychologists can expect to encounter lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals in their lives, as students, colleagues, friends, clients, and/or family members. Most of the LGB individuals encountered by counseling psychologists have experienced the negative consequences of internalized heterosexism/internalized homophobia (IH). Yet…

The ethical imperative for school counselors to intervene on behalf of marginalized students has been well documented. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth (LGBTQ) have been noted to be at increased risk for school dropout, truancy, lower school achievement, suicidal ideation and attempts, and depression. School counselors…

Issues of sexual orientation are relevant to multiple levels of the school community, including students, school professionals, and schools as institutions. School counselors, with their developmental training, systems perspective, and commitment to diversity, are uniquely positioned to be leaders in efforts not only to provide support for…

A commitment to social justice is integral to being an effective school psychologist. While social justice is a term that is not easily defined, professionals in school psychology have characterized it as the idea that all students are entitled to be treated with fairness and respect. Though individual conceptions of social justice may vary, a…

This manuscript addresses the impact of traumatic events on children and the relevancy of treatment using books and stories with children in grief. It also addresses research, efficacy, and some limitations of these interventions. Finally, it recommends therapeutic strategies and suggests guidance for material selection, offering a listing of…