A detailed resource outlining how cisgender heterosexual mental health providers can engage in cultural humility when working with LGBTQ+ people.
1. Are you a cis-hetero mental health provider?
A cisgender heterosexual mental health provider is any mental health professional who identifies as cisgender (your gender identity matches your assigned gender or sex at birth) and heterosexual (you have an exclusively romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite gender or sex).
Disclaimer: The following terms are used interchangeably throughout the website: cisgender heterosexual mental health, cisgender heterosexual provider, and cisgender mental health professional.
2. Do you struggle with knowing how to best support your LGBTQ+ clients?
If you answered "yes" to the first two questions, you've come to the right place! See the videos below for more information.
Rebecca Daneshpour, DSW, MSW, LCSW shares her reasoning for developing this resource for cisgender heterosexual mental health providers and explains the differences between cultural humility and cultural competency frameworks.
What is cultural humility?
Developed by Drs. Melanie Tervalon and Maria Murray-Garcia, the cultural humility framework challenges one to engage in continuous self-reflection and lifelong learning. Unlike the cultural competency framework, which stresses "knowing" rather than "lifelong learning," the cultural humility framework encourages providers to say what they do not know rather than what they do know, allows the client to lead the conversation, addresses power imbalances, and develops equal partnerships with communities to advocate for individuals and underprivileged populations (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998).
Why cultural humility?
Natalie Bembry—Ed.D., MA, MSW, LCSW, and expert on cultural humility—discusses why cisgender heterosexual mental health providers should engage in cultural humility when working with LGBTQ+ people.
About me
Rebecca Daneshpour, DSW, MSW, LCSW
I integrate several modalities of treatment including, but not limited to, CBT, DBT skills building, and solution-focused, client-centered, trauma-focused therapy. I have experience in working with clients of all ages struggling with eating disorders, mental illness, substance/alcohol abuse and recovery, trauma, family conflict, relationship issues, self-harm, crisis management, end-of-life circumstances, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, sexual orientation, and sexual identity . In my doctoral studies, I became more interested in the racial and ethnic disparities among Asian LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ people after working with several clients who identified with the community. My hope is that through this website you are better able to grasp the importance of engaging in and implementing a cultural humility framework when working with LGBTQ+ people.
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