Good Practice Recommendations - Counselling
- This study suggests that a high percentage of LGB disabled people use counselling services. This is probably a higher percentage than is found in the general population. All counsellors should therefore have training in order to provide an appropriate service to LGB disabled people. The basis of this should be to move away from blaming individuals for problems which may be caused by discrimination.
- This training needs to include a challenge to any heterosexist assumptions. This includes recognising how homophobia and discrimination against LGB people can be the cause of mental distress, rather than simply being a lesbian, gay or bisexual person.
- The training also needs to include a challenge to any disablist assumptions. This includes using a social model of disability approach and recognising how disability discrimination can cause mental distress and low self-esteem rather than automatically thinking that having an impairment is the issue. However, this is not to deny that counselling can be positive when someone is coming to terms with having an impairment, but this should not be seen as a tragedy.
- Training also needs to include consideration of the impact of multiple discrimination on people, including LGB disabled people.
- Counselling services should monitor feedback from LGB people and disabled people through asking people to disclose sexual orientation and disability on anonymous evaluation and monitoring forms.
- Counselling services should ensure that they consider improving physical access where necessary, in line with the DDA Part III. Services should be clear about any physical and other access barriers on first contact from a potential client and should offer to hold sessions in alternative, accessible premises and meet other access needs if necessary.
- As communication is so vital to the success of counselling services, there needs to be consideration of whether there are adequate services for Deaf people and for people with learning difficulties.
- The need for a third party, interpreter in some situations should be considered as unsatisfactory as it upsets the dynamics of the confidential counsellor/client interaction, there is therefore a need for an increase in counsellors who are fluent in British Sign Language.
- There should be a directory of counselling services. This should clearly state whether it is possible to specify the gender of counsellors, whether there are specifically any LGB counsellors, disabled counsellors or counsellors belonging to any other minority groups available, as well as physical access and any services aimed at disabled people that have communication access requirements such as Deaf people or people with learning difficulties.
- Counsellors need to understand their clients culture.
- More resources should be put into free counselling services, to reduce waits and increase choice (e.g. choice of a man or woman).
- There needs to be a clearer protocol about information sharing between counselling services and third parties, for example GPs or referrers, especially in relation to disclosure of sexual orientation. Permission from clients should be sought to disclose this information.
