Reflections from LGBTQIA+ individuals of their past experiences of psychotherapy and counselling and the use of creative therapy—A qualitative study

Abstract

Background

Previous literature tends to suggest that the LGBTQIA+ community face higher rates of mental disorders and illnesses. This appears to be due to minority stress as a result of the discrimination and hostility towards the community from society. In relation to psychotherapy and/or counselling, affirmative therapy has been found to be helpful; however, it is clear from the literature that the LGBTQIA+ population do not feel accepted or understood when accessing mental health support.

Method

Participants were invited to take part in an interview consisting of open-ended questions relating to the topic of interest. Following this, a thematic analysis was completed.

Findings

The thematic analysis revealed four main themes: these were ‘sexuality and gender within the therapeutic relationship’, ‘desirable characteristics and attributes in a therapist’, ‘undesirable characteristics and attributes in a therapist’ and ‘creative therapy’.

Implications for Practice

The results could be used to inform mental health practitioners of the importance of cultural competency in relation to the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as helping aid how to approach sexuality and/or gender in a therapeutic space. The conclusions also highlight the need for practitioners to explore context with LGBTQIA+ clients rather than solely emotion focus.

Conclusion

This study indicated that the LGBTQIA+ community prefer working with LGBTQIA+ therapists due to a shared lived experience and perceived baseline understanding of each other. It was also found that context was important for them in therapy, rather than emotion focus, and creative therapy was also shown to be useful for the community.