Elements of LGBT counselling

Autori: Rosa Silvia

May 17th celebrates, on a worldwide scale, the Day Against Homophobia*, Biphobia* and Transphobia1*. The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision to declassify homosexuality* as a mental disorder in 1990 2. Since that day the approach of psychotherapists and counsellors toward LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) patients and clients officially took a decisive turn, inside and outside transactional analysis, definitely abandoning the pathologizing perspective on non-heterosexual orientations and progressively renewing the point of view on nonconforming gender identities*, focusing instead on the fight against homo-bi-transfobia and on the affirmation of wellbeing among the LGBT population. This paper explores different possibilities of intervention in this area, considering the recent transformation of the socio-cultural context in which we operate as therapists and counsellors, and focusing specifically on TA counselling, and on the practices of decontamination and empowerment related to it. Paths of practical implementation of TA counselling will be presented as a result of an integration of some of the most recent TA contribution on this topic with the Guidelines for psychological consultancy with LGBT people (Linee guida per la consulenza psicologica con persone lesbiche, gay, bisessuali) recently published by Vittorio Lingiardi and Nicola Nardelli (2014).