One of the requirements of the counseling profession according to the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics is competency surrounding your client’s identities. The ACA acknowledges and supports LBGTQIA+ identities. There are many subcultures within LGBTQ+ culture and to understand all of them would take years of research.
One important note is that many of these competencies were approved by the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues Board (ALGBTIC) in Counseling more than a decade ago. As a result, some of these competencies may seem to fall short of the scope of your client’s identities.
Initialism
Before we look into the resources available for the LGBTQIA+ competency, let’s go over the initialism behind the acronym. According to SAIGE, here is official initialism they refer to when discussing LGBTQIA+.
L = Lesbian
G = Gay
B = Bisexual
T = Trans, Transgender; & Two-Spirit (2S; Native Identity)
GE = Gender Expansive
Q = Queer; & Questioning
I = Intersex
A = Agender; Asexual & Aromantic
P = Pansexual; Pan/Polygender; & Poly Relationship Systems
+ = We continue to be Inclusive of Other Related Identities by Being Committed to Ever-Expanding, Learning, & Growing the Acronym and Our Understanding of These Identities
(Image depicts initialism definitions according to SAIGE)
LBGTQIA Competencies
The official document outlining the LGBTQIA+ competencies was published in 2013 and approved by the ALGBTIC Board. This document does not cover transgender issues, as that is covered in a separate document.
This document covers:
- Competencies for working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Questioning Individuals
- Competencies for working with Allies
- Competencies for working with Intersex Individuals
- References and Resources
Within each of these competencies, the document addresses:
- Human Growth and Development
- Social and Cultural Foundations
- Helping Relationships
- Group Work
- Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice
- Career and Lifestyle Development
- Assessment
- Research and Program Evaluation
This document is extensive and supposed to be used as a jumping off point for your own in-depth research on LGBTQIA+ issues your clients face. Because this document was published more than a decade ago, it is important to continue updating the research and finding new ways to support the LGBTQIA+ community.
Transgender Competencies
The document covering transgender competencies was approved by the ALGBTIC Board and published in 2010. It covers the goals of human growth and development for competent counselors. Next, it addresses important social and cultural foundations. It then defines the role of competent counselors in helping relationships. It covers group work, professional orientation, and career and lifestyle development competencies. It finally addresses appraisal and research. While the document is thorough, it is worth noting that the document is more than a decade old and might not cover every issue you might encounter.
Additional Resources
Because the ALGBTIC approved documents are older, I have included some additional websites mentioned in Singh’s (2014) LGBTQQ-Affirmative Counseling brief for the ACA.
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders
Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities
The Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE) is a division of ACA. SAIGE is dedicated to spreading awareness and educating counselors on the many identities within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. SAIGE is dedicated to advocacy and support of the LGBTQIA+ community through LGBTQIA+ affirming counseling. Membership to SAIGE is discounted for students.
SAIGE Resources
On their website, SAIGE posts information about their monthly webinars and an annual conference. SAIGE is approved for continuing education units under NBCC and clearly states which of their websites and online courses count toward continuing education units. For graduate students, SAIGE is working on organizing a list of mentors across the nation. Archived ALGBTIC magazines and newsletters are saveD on the SAIGE website. The current publication of SAIGE is Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling, which you can subscribe to online. SAIGE also hosts a podcast called “Loud and Queerly.” While they are not currently publishing new episodes, you can listen to their episodes on Spotify.
Recources
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=55ab73d0_1
American Counseling Association 20. Competencies for counseling with transgender clients. (2010). Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 4(3-4), 135–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2010.524839
Harper, A., Finnerty, P., Martinez, M., Brace, A., Crethar, H. C., Loos, B., Harper, B., Graham, S., Singh, A., Kocet, M., Travis, L., Lambert, S., Burnes, T., Dickey, L. M., & Hammer, T. R. (2013). Association for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in counseling competencies for counseling with lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex, and ally individuals. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 7(1), 2–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2013.755444
Initialism – Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities. (n.d.). https://saigecounseling.org/initialism/
Singh, A., & Gonzalez, M. (2014). ACA counseling brief LGBTQQ-affirmative counseling. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/practice-briefs/lgbtqq.pdf?sfvrsn=adbcd06c_1
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