|
|
A Balancing Act: Curating LGBTQ Affirming Clinical Social Work Practice in a Changing Political Landscape
|
|
LinkedIn
E-Mail
|
The year 2025 has brought abundant changes locally, nationally, and internationally, including a number of significant political changes. These changes have impacted a number of vulnerable populations accessing clinical care provided by social workers. Additionally, social workers are facing pressure from stakeholders to conform and modify clinical practice related to the ever-changing political landscape, such as treatment modalities, psychotherapy topics, and increased taboo of specific diagnoses, to name a few. Kwok et al. (2025) found that graduates are not effectively prepared for inclusive and affirming practice when they have limited multicultural content in the curriculum and diverse field placements during their graduate education, leading to a lack of knowledge and personal biases against inclusive practice. Furthermore, having minimal inclusivity in professional settings discourages collaboration and support among co-workers. Collaborative practice within and across professions is key to providing comprehensive and holistic care for all diverse client populations. One vulnerable population that has been at the forefront of political disparity for generations is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. While just over 9% of adults across U.S. do not identify as heterosexual, presently 23.1% of Generation Z do not identify as heterosexual (Jones, 2025). LGBTQ youth may be prone to higher rates of anxiety, depression, sexuality distress, suicide ideation and attempts, and violence related to their sexual orientation when compared to the general population (McDonald, 2018). Specifically, the Trevor Project (2023) found that 33% of LGBTQ youth perceived their mental health as poor at least most of the time due to politics. This presentation will begin with an overview of the unique health and mental health needs of the LGBTQ population and the risks they face living in the U.S. today, with a focus on resilience. Due to the prevalence of youth and adults identifying as members of the LGBTQ community and the elevated risks they face related to suicidality, it is important to effectively prepare and support social workers on how to curate a practice environment that is sexual and gender-affirming and inclusive despite ongoing political ideology and changes. LGBTQ-affirming care is “a broad approach to health care and support that recognizes and respects an individual’s identity, ensuring that all individuals can live healthily, fulfilling lives by addressing their unique needs” (HRC Foundation, 2025). The presentation will describe what LGBTQ-affirming and inclusive clinical practice entails, including the impact upon mental health outcomes, especially since LGBTQ-affirming spaces for youth have been linked to lower rates of attempted suicide (The Trevor Project, 2023). Guidelines for curating inclusive clinical social work practice will explore the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice. The guidelines for curating LGBTQ-affirming and inclusive practice shared in the presentation include using clients’ chosen names and pronouns, gender-based diagnoses based on necessity only to specific interventions like affirmative mindfulness (Iacono, 2019), and accessibility to connect via chat-based support, especially from mobile devices (McInroy et al., 2019).
| Price | Standard |
|---|
| Non-Member | $25.00 | | Member | $15.00 |
|
|
|
Adding Registration, Please wait...
