Unhelpful incidents in talking therapy as experienced by gay cis men

What is it about?

Even unintentional experiences of discrimination in talking therapy can be harmful for clients. This is the first published study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to illuminate how gay cis men experience and make sense of such unhelpful incidents in talking therapy. We found that such incidents may affect clients' relationships with themselves and other people.

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Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings highlight some implications for anti-discriminatory therapeutic practice. They suggest that a safe, empathic, non-judgmental therapeutic relationship can be vital for gay cis men clients. They show that discrimination in talking therapy can harm the relationship of clients with themselves and other people. It therefore proposes that such incidents, even when not intentional, should be addressed and worked through with the therapist. Our findings can also contribute to important policy changes. Based on the accounts of our participants, we recommend the provision of reflective spaces for exploring unconscious bias, as well as training on inclusivity and anti-discriminatory practice in training institutions and counselling, psychotherapy and psychological therapy services. Furthermore, our findings suggest the importance of the provision of social support networks in counselling, psychotherapy and psychological therapy services for clients who have experienced discrimination in therapy.

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