Couple Therapy With Gay Men

Description

This book illuminates the unique needs of gay male couples in therapy and provides a practical framework for clinical intervention. The authors review the basic principles of structural family therapy and guide therapists in adapting treatment goals and interventions to better serve gay clients. Addressed are the universal issues faced by all couples in therapy, gay and straight, as well as the particular challenges gay men face in building nurturing, intimate relationships in a homophobic society. Extensive case examples and session transcripts are used to illustrate effective strategies for helping clients affirm the strength of their union, even in the absence of familial and social support; learn to resolve differences constructively; and overcome culturally conditioned barriers to connection and trust.

Reviews

'This masterful book - grounded in vivid case examples - gives readers a clear theoretical framework and a 'how-to' guide for intervening actively with gay male couples in therapy. Whereas almost all previous works deal only with the intrapsychic dynamics of the individual partners, this one goes much further, shining a bright light on couple-level processes. The integration of family systems, gender socialization, and gay identity development theories is brilliant!' - Robert-Jay Green, PhD, Alternative Family Institute, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University; coeditor of Lesbians and Gays in Couples and Families