Facilitating Career Development

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Facilitating Career Development in Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, and Transgender Students
Lisa R. Forest, M.Ed., NCC lrforest_at_yahoo.com
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Why a GLBT Workshop?

• Efforts to Improve Retention and Graduation Rates
• Identify at-risk groups
• Target interventions
• Student Services for Underrepresented Groups
• Shortage of programs designed for GLBT
  students
• Minority stress more readily recognized in
  other underrepresented
• populations
• Impact of minority stress on academic and
  professional development
• Need for GLBT-specific programming

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Goals of Program

• Facilitate Students Career
  Development
• Increase planfulness
• Raise awareness and preparedness
• Normalize the impact of minority stress
• Introduce effective coping strategies
• Provide GLBT affirming student services

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Challenges Faced by GLBT students and
professionals
CAUTION

• Caution against overgeneralization
• Minority stress results from heterosexism
  (i.e. societys
• response to sexual orientation or gender
  identity)
• -- not from the sexual orientation or gender
  identity
• itself.

Heterosexism The normalizing and privileging of
heterosexuality based on the bias that
heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality
and/or bisexuality.
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Challenges Faced by GLBT Students and
Professionals
3 Broad Categories
Identity Development as Sexual Minority
Discrimination, Heterosexism, and Homophobia
Simultaneous Identities Development
Decision to Disclose Sexual Identity
Climate
Stereotypes
Unmet Need for GLBT Role Models
Insufficient Support
Societal Heterosexism
Internalized Heterosexism
Lack of Support
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Societal Heterosexism Impact on Academic Success
Societal heterosexism - Heterosexism evidenced in
society through social norms and customs, laws,
institutions, language, etc.

• Professional and Sexual Identities Development
• Stigma of sexual minority status
• Gender and occupational stereotypes
• Safety and Emotional Well-Being
• Affects progression to next developmental stage
• Report feelings of helplessness and isolation
• Identity Management and Fear of Discrimination
• Outcome expectations for oppressed groups
• Pros and cons of identity disclosure

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Internalized Heterosexism Impact on Academic
Success
Internalized Heterosexism Negative attitudes and
feelings towards oneself and other GLBT persons
based on ones own or others homosexuality,
bisexuality, or transgender identity.

• Influence of Societal heterosexism
• Internalization of negative messages
• Coming out is a process of gradual
  self-acceptance
• Self-efficacy and confidence
• Academic performance
• Coming out is ongoing
• Each new person and environment
• Continuous and often spontaneous decision-making

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Insufficient Support Impact on Academic Success

• Role models
• Identity Management
• Can model how to cope with discrimination
• May challenge occupational stereotypes
• Reduce feelings of isolation
• Student services
• Report less academic support and career guidance
• Affirming climate
• Social and legal support
• Financial repercussions
• Emotional distress and estrangement

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The Workshop Sessions
Session 1 Challenges Faced by GLBT Students and
Professionals Session 2 Coping Skills and
Strategies Session 3 Decision-making, Values,
and Planning Session 4 Panel of GLBT
Professionals
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Results of Workshop

• Top Cited Benefits
• Support gained from workshop
• Feel better informed, prepared, and have a
  plan for meeting challenges

• Top Cited Suggestions for Improvement
• Longer sessions
• Greater number of sessions

• Student Participation
• During the pilot program, the number of
  students
• participating doubled from the first to final
  session.

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Results of Workshop

• Knowledge of Challenges
• 100 correctly identified more GLBT-specific
  challenges on post than on pre-test.
• Level of Commitment
• All but one of the students indicated the same
  level of commitment for finishing
• their degrees. One indicated less commitment.
• Level of Confidence
• 62.5 indicated greater confidence in
  completing their degrees.
• Existence of Plan for Sexual Identity Management
• 100 indicated no plan on the pre-test but
  did have a plan post-test.
• Level of Perceived Support on Campus
• 62.5 indicated more support.

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Counselor and Advisor Competencies

• Establish Safe Environment
• Self-awareness
• Examine own biases
• Demonstrate genuine affirmation
• Verbal communication
• Nonverbal communication
• Awareness and discussion of challenges

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To Learn More
Pope, M. (1995). Career interventions for gay and
lesbian clients A synopsis of practice
knowledge and research needs. Career Development
Quarterly, 44(2), 191-201. Pope, M., Barret,
B., Szymanski, D.M., Chung, Y.B., Singaravelu,
H., McLean, R., Sanabria, S. (2004). Culturally
appropriate career counseling with gay and
lesbian clients. Career Development Quarterly,
53, 158-177.
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Questions??
Please ask!
Lisa R. Forest, M.Ed., NCC lrforest_at_yahoo.com