Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (Reading)

What kind of knowledge do mental health service providers need in order  to be able to provide quality services for LGBTQI+ persons and to form their practices to be more inclusive? What skills and attitudes does a hotline operator, school psychologist, a clinical psychologist or a social worker need to give inclusive services?  During the development of this training material our focus were on the following:

• Knowledge: It is important for professionals to be familiar with LGBTQI+ concepts and terminology; to be able to grasp the complex ways gender identity/experience, and sexual and/or romantic orientation can be related; to be able to use the terminology in a flexible way; to be aware of the specific psychological challenges LGBTQI+ persons face; to gain knowledge on the the process of coming out, on internalised homo-, bi and transphobia, sexism and heteronormativity, on minority stress and the social experiences of LGBTQI+ people, also on transitioning and legal gender recognition.
• Attitudes: Professionals should be open-minded, interested and treat social diversity or being “different” as something valuable; show empathy, solidarity; seek to be aware of and to decrease their prejudices, stereotypes and judgmental mentalities; inspect their value system and embody values aligned with human rights.
• Skills: Professionals should have the basic skill-set of any helping professional: the ability of active listening and setting appropriate boundaries; the profound awareness of the effect their thinking and behaviour has on the other, also of limitations of their knowledge and competences. They also should have the ability to examine the social circumstances and networks of their clients, and the way societal norms and practices affect those clients; to explore the intersecting social identities of their clients; to identify elements of their own methods and practices that are not affirmative or unhelpful regarding diversities; to use inclusive and open language around sexuality and gender.