How can you make your practice more inclusive for LGBTQ+ clients?

1 Assess your own biases and assumptions

The first step to becoming more inclusive is to examine your own attitudes and beliefs about LGBTQ+ people, and how they may affect your professional practice. You may have implicit or explicit biases, stereotypes, or prejudices that influence your interactions, assessments, and interventions with LGBTQ+ clients. You may also make assumptions about their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, or history based on their appearance, behavior, or name. These biases and assumptions can create barriers to building trust, rapport, and understanding with your clients, and can harm their mental health and well-being. Therefore, you should challenge yourself to recognize and address your own biases and assumptions, and to seek out education and training on LGBTQ+ issues and cultures.

2 Use inclusive and respectful language

The language you use with your LGBTQ+ clients can have a significant impact on how they feel respected, valued, and supported by you. You should use inclusive and respectful language that reflects their self-identified terms and pronouns, and that avoids heteronormative, cisnormative, or pathologizing expressions. For example, you should ask your clients how they identify and what pronouns they use, rather than assuming based on their appearance or records. You should also avoid using terms like "homosexual", "transsexual", or "lifestyle choice", which may imply that being LGBTQ+ is abnormal, deviant, or optional. Instead, you should use terms like "sexual orientation", "gender identity", or "gender expression", which acknowledge the diversity and fluidity of LGBTQ+ identities.

3 Create a safe and welcoming environment

Another way to make your practice more inclusive is to create a safe and welcoming environment for your LGBTQ+ clients, where they can feel comfortable and accepted. You can do this by displaying visible signs of support and inclusion, such as rainbow flags, stickers, posters, or brochures that celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity and rights. You can also ensure that your intake forms, policies, and procedures are inclusive and non-discriminatory, and that they allow your clients to indicate their preferred name, pronouns, and identity. Additionally, you can make referrals to LGBTQ+-friendly resources and organizations, such as support groups, health centers, legal services, or advocacy groups, that can provide additional help and guidance to your clients.

4 Educate yourself and others

To make your practice more inclusive, you also need to educate yourself and others on the issues and needs of LGBTQ+ clients, and to keep up to date with the latest research and best practices. You can do this by attending workshops, webinars, conferences, or courses on LGBTQ+ topics, and by reading books, articles, blogs, or newsletters that provide relevant and reliable information and perspectives. You can also join professional networks, associations, or committees that focus on LGBTQ+ issues and advocacy, and that can offer you peer support, mentorship, and feedback. Furthermore, you can educate and influence your colleagues, supervisors, managers, or policymakers on the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion and competence, and on the ways to improve the quality and accessibility of social services for LGBTQ+ clients.

5 Listen and learn from your clients

Finally, the best way to make your practice more inclusive is to listen and learn from your LGBTQ+ clients, and to respect their expertise and autonomy. You should not assume that you know everything about their lives, experiences, or needs, or that they are all the same. You should also not impose your own values, beliefs, or expectations on them, or try to change or fix them. Instead, you should adopt a client-centered, strengths-based, and empowerment-oriented approach, that honors their diversity and complexity, and that supports their goals and choices. You should also ask for their feedback and input on how you can improve your practice and service delivery, and how you can better meet their needs and preferences.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?