Despite legal and policy advancements in South Africa, prejudice, discrimination and
victimisation are still a reality for many lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in the
country. The Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) has embarked on a process to
develop lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) affirmative practice
guidelines for psychology professionals, when working with these client populations. As a
part of the larger objective, this research study highlights LGB people’s experiences of
psychotherapy and counselling in South Africa as possible inputs for the mentioned practice
guidelines. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with selected participants. The
results indicate that some aspects of LGB people’s experiences are similar to those of anyone
in psychotherapy or counselling, but also that there are distinct differences. Negative
experiences were almost exclusively due to the counsellor being disaffirming of the client's
sexual orientation. Self-acceptance and the development of alternative perspectives of
sexuality were more prominent outcomes of counselling compared to studies among broader
populations. The participants’ feedback on a list of affirmative statements provides a
potential basis for future affirmative practice guidelines. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/13292 |
| Date | 01 April 2014 |
| Creators | Victor, Cornelius Johannes |
| Contributors | Nel, J. A. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
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