Lgbtq Community Reflection

When I think of the LGBTQ community I will say that the one that I have the least understanding of is the transgender community. I have researched and watched videos but they only got me so far with the answered I seek. I needed to be able to have face to face conversation with someone to help me. Having Mae come talk to us was an answer to a prayer. She answered so many of the questions that I had and gave me insight that I would have never had if not for having the chance to talk to her.
With everything that we have read and listened to the last couple of weeks I think the biggest thing that I have learned was about all the different identities that are out there. I knew of some but after watching the video with the college students and

Mae, I have learned that there are even more identities out there. It is definitely something I will have to do a lot of research on in order to fully understand what they entail, along with knowing for sure what definition goes with what identity. I will also need to work on my pronouns and making sure that I use them correctly while not showing my client that it is such a huge deal for me to remember. I think the biggest struggle with that will be when they want me to use one pronoun in public while using a different one in private. Those concerns will go away once I have that relationship with the client.
Something else that has really stuck with me is how do I go about giving those in the LGBTQ community a safe place to talk about whatever they want to talk about. The first place it starts is in the waiting room. Once you have met with the client you never have to worry about calling out their name but that first meeting is where it can go so wrong. I had to think of what I could do in my site that promotes safety from that very first meeting on. One way is to have on the form prefer name so that I call them by a name they are comfortable with. I also could require a space on my forms that allows them to leave a personal note for me to read before I come get them. I believe that no matter the client, the first meeting is something that will always be tricky.
At this point in my developed I do not know how I plan to go about my first meeting with any of my clients. I know that it varies from person to person and generally you go over the intake form to gain a better understanding of the person. I am not sure if sites have protocols on that sort of thing or if they leave it up to the counselor to decide how they want to do it. If the site allows me to construct that first meeting, I also know that my theoretical orientation will guide how it goes. The one that that I am for sure on is that it is always up to the client what they want to disclose their identity or sexuality. It all goes back to the safety of the client.
I am glad that when we had the chance to ask Mae questions, that I was able to ask how to go about writing my case notes in such a way to not out the client by accident. It was something that literally had not crossed my mind until I was sitting in that classroom. The suggestions that were made that day on how to write my notes in a safe way will be good practice for all my case notes. My understanding of case notes is so limited at this point in my training that I am sure that I will have more questions regarding how to protect my clients while providing enough detail for myself and another counselor if they have to see my client in my stead.
In article written by ALGBTIC Transgender Committee A.9 really jumped out to me as I plan to work with children (2010). It talked about how “normal” developmental tasks may not be correct with those in the transgender community. With my bachelors being in Child Development developmental behaviors is one of the main focuses of the degree. When I read that, it makes complete sense that no matter the age, they have to work through something so hard that I cannot even comprehend what that must be like. Being developmentally appropriate is something that concerns me as I read A.9. I am glad that my bachelors drilled into my head that each child is different and that you have to treat them as such, it is the same philosophy for someone who is seeking to find their true identity. I cannot at this moment picture what that looks like because I do not have training in that area. The only viewpoint I have are of individuals how have who has either a mental or physical disability. I can do all the training and research I want but until I have that face to face meeting with someone, I will truly not be able to grasp it.
Along those same lines I do have concerns on how I can help someone in the LGBTQ community discover what they true identity is. Or how do I help them work out a process of coming out to their family and friends if they haven’t already. If I do not have enough training then I will have to think about if I am reaching outside of my competencies skills referring them to someone who does have the competencies to help them through that process. If the site I work at has someone who has training in this area then I would ask for extra supervision, along with getting additional training recommend by said person.
In the article it also talks about having to write letters to help those in the transgender community get medical serves such as hormones and body modification. When it comes to those types of services, how much more training would I require in order to be a competent enough to write my clients letters.
The article also talks about helping clients who are transgender with trying to find jobs and how to advocate for themselves. I feel like helping them with jobs is not within my scoop of competencies even after I finish the program. I would think I would refer them to someone with that job training but still be there to consult with that person so that they have both of us helping them success. I guess as I read the article they bring out areas that we might helped them with and some of those areas I feel like there are other professionals that would do a better job than I could do. In those situations it be great if the other professional would be willing to work with me creating an interdisciplinary team for the client. Creating interdisciplinary teams for my clients is something that I hope that I can actively achieve once I start working as a professional. In my own history I have seen the benefits of having my doctors work together and there is no reason why more professional cannot do it.
G.14 talked about ethical dilemmas that are happening with transgender people (2010). I wish they would’ve stated in that article what type of ethical dilemmas they’re talking about. Earlier I talked about my case notes which can be an ethical dilemma with respecting their rights but still writing your notes in such a way that another professional can help said client if you for some reason are unable to make the session. I also talked about forms that we have our clients fill out. Having such limited choices on our forms just shows our clients discrimination in the one place that they should not have to face. I am beginning to realize that ethical dilemma can be really anything and that there are some things that are firm ethical dilemmas but I can see how in this situation that there are new ones every day.
One of the most important source of continued information and learning will come from the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues in Counseling. I trust that they will have the most accurate information about anything I need to know in the field. From that website I was able to learn more about people who are intersex. It showed me how small my world of knowledge was but it gave me such great resources to make my world bigger as long as I actively pursue the knowledge.
I also need to learn about the resources in my own area.

Knowing what is around me locally is almost more important than knowing nationally. I want my clients to be able to connect to people in their own town and have the chance to have those face to face interactions that are so key to living a healthy happy life. Some of my local resources will be my professions and
Idaho State University Counseling and Testing Center. I would assume that I can do the safety zone training even after I have graduated from the program. I believe having the safety zone training will help answer some of the questions that I have when it comes to meeting my clients for the first time. That training is definitely on my to-do list so that I can be a better multicultural counselor to my clients.
I feel blessed that I live in a day and age where I can literally go online and find resources and knowledge at my fingertips. I cannot imagine how much the world is going to change with the LBGTQ community during the course of my career. I have hopes that it will become more acceptable to people and that this community can have peace and freedom to be who they truly are without the dangers that they face now. I am only one person but as one person I can change my clients’ life by accepting them for who they are and being a support to

them.