Family Therapy Homosexuality Case Study

In order to become competent as a marriage and family therapist needs to understand that because it is more likely that the therapist will be working with more than one person they need to respect and protect confidentiality with all members (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 2015). By holding a secret that one member of the therapeutic relationship told in confidence the therapist could be breaking the other person’s rights to equal advocacy, and can hinder secure attachment (Shaw, 2015). When working with children the therapist needs to be clear about what is confidential, do not tell the child that everything said is confidential. There are four positions that can be taken with confidentiality: no material is confidential,

In the past and to some people now, homosexuality is seen as a sin and immoral (Alexander Street, 2005). From the 13th century homosexuality was punished with death or torture, and in the 19th century homosexuality was seen as a psychological disorder that could be treated with medicine and therapy. In the begging and middle of the 20th century behavioral therapy and psychoanalysis were the leaders in helping homosexuals, making homosexuality a condition that can be treated so the person can become heterosexual. In today’s culture these ideas about homosexuals are still rampant, however in therapy Homosexuality is not seen as a condition that needs to be treated, the people in this culture are just like others in another culture and should be treated as that. Within the homosexual culture there are issues that are specific to that culture, and understanding that helps a therapist that is not within the culture themselves. If a therapist truly feels that they are competent enough to work with families and couples within the homosexual community after training and then they should be able to work with and have a better understanding of the