02/01/2025

Preparing LGBTQIA+ Affirming Career Counselors: Considerations for Counselor Educators

By Amber M. Samuels

Counselor educators have a critical responsibility to ensure the future generation of career counselors is equipped to provide LGBTQIA+ affirming support to clients. Although the latest CACREP (2024) standards emphasize cultural competence, specific requirements for LGBTQIA+ affirming training are variable (Wada et al., 2019). Given the growing demographic prevalence of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the United States and the unique career development challenges they may face (e.g., identity-based discrimination), career counselors-in-training will inevitably encounter clients whose lives are impacted by their sexual and gender identities. Therefore, the need for purposeful integration of LGBTQIA+ affirming practices and their integration into counselor education and training is paramount. This includes not only understanding the diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community but also addressing potential biases and promoting self-reflection among future career counselors (Ratts et al., 2016). This article aims to provide practical considerations for counselor educators to prepare emerging career counselors to effectively support LGBTQIA+ clients.

Attending to Intersectionality

According to the NCDA Code of Ethics (2024, Section G.8.c), counselor educators should actively “infuse multicultural/diversity competency in their training and supervision practices” of career counselors. Counselor educators must, therefore, account for the intersectional experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals to prepare culturally competent career counselors. Intersectionality recognizes that LGBTQIA+ people's experiences are shaped by the complex interplay of multiple identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, disability, country of origin, spiritual/religious identity, socioeconomic status, sexual/gender identity). For example, LGBTQIA+ people of color often face compounded discrimination due to both racism and homophobia (Bowleg & Bauer, 2016), while LGBTQIA+ individuals with disabilities may encounter additional career and vocational barriers (Dispenza et al., 2019). Counselor educators can perhaps intentionally integrate intersectionality into their curriculum by providing case studies/vignettes that encourage exploration of how different identities interact, in order to promote self-reflection among students about their own intersecting privileges and biases. This provides opportunities for emerging career counselors to think about ways to provide culturally responsive support that addresses the unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ clients with other marginalized identities.

Career Challenges and Strengths

Counselor educators must prepare future career counselors to address the unique challenges and recognize the strengths of LGBTQIA+ clients in the context of lifestyle and career development (American Counseling Association, 2014; National Career Development Association, 2009, 2024). While LGBTQIA+ individuals often face distinct career-related challenges, they also possess strengths and resources that can be explored through counseling. Counselor educators can teach career counselors-in-training how to help LGBTQIA+ clients evaluate workplace inclusivity. This may involve instructing students to research company policies and benefits, while also guiding them to recognize their clients' adaptability, self-awareness, and unique perspectives as professional assets. To reinforce these skills, counselor educators might implement role-playing exercises. For instance, they could have students practice a scenario where they counsel a client who is considering whether to disclose their sexual orientation during job interviews. Through this exercise, students can learn to help clients navigate the decision-making process, weighing potential risks and benefits while supporting the client's autonomy. By addressing both challenges and strengths, counselor educators can prepare students to provide more affirming support to LGBTQIA+ clients in their career journeys.

Addressing Anti-LGBTQIA+ Legislation

In the current climate of rapidly evolving legislation affecting LGBTQIA+ rights, emerging counselors must be informed about the legal landscape to effectively support their clients. The surge in anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation has created a state of emergency for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the United States, as recognized by the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE) in a position statement endorsed by the American Counseling Association (ACA; SAIGE, 2024). This legislative trend has implications for LGBTQIA+ career development and workplace experiences. When preparing career counselors to support LGBTQIA+ clients, it is crucial for counselor educators to emphasize the importance of staying informed about evolving legislation and the implications. This includes understanding both federal protections (e.g., Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, 2020, that established federal protection against workplace discrimination for LGBTQIA+ individuals) and the landscape of state and local laws. Counselor educators can address this by offering opportunities in the classroom for career counselors-in-training to research and interpret company policies on non-discrimination, benefits for same-sex partners, and the presence of employee resource groups. By equipping emerging career counselors with knowledge of these legal realities, counselor educators can better prepare them to support LGBTQIA+ clients in making informed career decisions, addressing workplace discrimination, and advocating for their rights in an increasingly complex and often hostile environment.

Opportunities for Advocacy and Social Justice

As mentioned above, counselor educators play a crucial role in preparing future career counselors to be effective advocates for LGBTQIA+ clients. The ACA Advocacy Competencies (Toporek & Daniels, 2018) provide a comprehensive framework for this preparation, emphasizing advocacy at multiple levels (i.e., individual, community, public arena). At the individual level, counselor educators can teach emerging career counselors to empower LGBTQIA+ clients to self-advocate and make informed decisions about their careers. This might involve role-playing exercises where career counselors-in-training practice helping clients navigate workplace discrimination or negotiate for inclusive benefits. At the community level, educators can encourage students to identify systemic barriers affecting LGBTQIA+ individuals in various career settings. Assignments could include analyzing workplace policies for inclusivity or developing proposals for LGBTQIA+-affirming career development programs in schools or community centers. For public arena advocacy, counselor educators can provide opportunities for students to engage with broader policy issues. This could involve tracking pending legislation impacting LGBTQIA+ rights in the workplace or drafting letters to legislators about the importance of inclusive employment practices. By incorporating advocacy competencies into their curriculum, counselor educators can perhaps prepare future career counselors to be active agents of change, promoting more inclusive and equitable career opportunities for LGBTQIA+ individuals at all levels of society.

References

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/ethics

Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644 (2020).

Bowleg, L., & Bauer, G. (2016). Invited reflection: Quantifying intersectionality. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(3), 337-341.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2024). 2024 CACREP standards. https://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Standards-Combined-Version-4.11.2024.pdf

Dispenza, F., Brennaman, C., Harper, L. S., Harrigan, M. A., Chastain, T. E., & Procter, J. E. (2019). Career development of sexual and gender minority persons living with disabilities. The Counseling Psychologist, 47(1), 98-128.

National Career Development Association. (2009). Minimum competencies for multicultural career counseling and development.  https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/26627?ver=50664

National Career Development Association. (2024). 2024 NCDA code of ethics. https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/3395?ver=738703ver=738701

Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Nassar‐McMillan, S., Butler, S. K., & McCullough, J. R. (2016). Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies: Guidelines for the counseling profession. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 44(1), 28–48. https://www.doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12035

Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities. (2024). SAIGE position statement on anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. American Counseling Association. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/saige-position-statement-anti-lgbtq-legislation

Toporek, R. L., & Daniels, J. (2018). American Counseling Association advocacy competencies: Updated. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/aca-advocacy-competencies-may-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=b001425c_4

Wada, K., McGroarty, E. J., Tomaro, J., & Amundsen-Dainow, E. (2019). Affirmative career counselling with transgender and gender nonconforming clients: A social justice perspective. Canadian Journal of Counselling & Psychotherapy/Revue Canadienne de Counseling et de Psychothérapie, 53(3).

Amber M. Samuels, PhD, LPC (DC), NCC, CCC, is an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Counseling at Hood College, Frederick, MD. Additionally, her roles include: Practicum & Internship Coordinator, (CMHC) Counseling, MS Co-Chapter Faculty Advisor, Chi Sigma Iota (Eta Chi), 4PLUS Psychology (BA)/Counseling (MS) Program Coordinator. She can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/drambersamuels/