A different kind of outing: training counsellors to work with sexual minority clients

Past research indicates sexual minority training provided to graduate students of coun-selling psychology is minimal and inadequate. Graduates feel unprepared to work com-petently with sexual-minority individuals, yet Canadian and American professional associations require their members to be knowledgeable about sexual orientation and to be competent in providing counselling services to diverse clientele. Results from a four-item questionnaire e-mailed to 14 Canadian universities suggested that minimal training is offered to counselling graduate students concerning gay and lesbian psy-chology and counselling. Following a literature review, a flexible curriculum is sug-gested for counselling psychology graduate programs that conforms to theorized requirements for both multicultural competency and effective lesbian, gay, and bisexual affirmative counselling practice. Les recherches indiquent que la formation aux minorités sexuelles fournie aux étudiants diplômés en psychologie du counseling est minimale et insatisfaisante. Les diplômés ne se sentent pas prêts à travailler de façon compétente avec des individus appartenant à des minorités sexuelles, bien que les associations canadienne et américaine exigent qu