Although I have always enjoyed dog upl work wh gay men, I am hardly a specialist this area. So at tim when I’ve had qutns I’ve turned to my lleagu Rick Miller and Clton Power. Rick’s practice the Boston area specializ work wh gay men and Clton’s…
Contents:
- GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN'S HEALTH ISSU
- COMMON ISSU GAY RELATNSHIPS AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM
- HOW TO TACKLE GAY RELATNSHIP PROBLEMS
GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN'S HEALTH ISSU
* common issues in gay relationship *
Gay male upl tend to rely on social exchange (like dog thgs for one another) rather than on emotnal or relatnal factors for mutual satisfactn.
Conversely, some lbians and gay men are terrified if relatnships bee too close, sce this remds them of the suffotg closets of their earlier liv. A profsnal mental healthre provir will be a sensive clician, fully aware of the pfalls of tradnal heterosexual bias, and will treat a lbian or gay uple an appropriate fashn.
There are no unique treatments for same-sex upl and the methods ed wh heterosexual upl n be ed for gay and lbian pairs.
COMMON ISSU GAY RELATNSHIPS AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM
Unrstand health ncerns for gay men and other men who have sex wh men, and learn how to promote good health. * common issues in gay relationship *
Gay and lbian issu will be addrsed somewhat differently, as certa life strsors may play more of a role for a male uple than a female uple, and vice versa.
For example, lbians often experience more anxiety than gay men regardg reactns of fay members to their sexualy. Conversely, gay men report more strs surroundg HIV/AIDS-related issu and vlence and harassment than do lbian upl. Rick’s practice the Boston area specializ work wh gay men and Clton’s Sydney serv the LBGTQ for this month’s blog, I reached out to Rick and Clton to help rears who work primarily wh heterosexual upl and want to expand your knowledge base for helpg gay men.
I’ll start wh some of Rick’s sights on mon issu for gay male upl and follow up wh a set of qutns om Clton that open munitn l and pave the way for your Miller has been a popular prenter at the annual Coupl Conferenc that we -sponsor wh the Milton Erickson Foundatn. Last year his prentatn was amed around potentially difficult nversatns a therapist might iate wh gay upl the areas of sex, money and vulnerabily.
HOW TO TACKLE GAY RELATNSHIP PROBLEMS
Rearch has shown that the followg are some of the most mon health ncerns faced by gay and bisexual men. * common issues in gay relationship *
I know om my own practice and also om the many s therapists have brought to me for nsultatn that the issu n be pecially challengg to heterosexual therapists workg wh gay upl. Wtern culture supports strength men and beltl ep ternal vulnerabily or is pound by the ternalized shame rried by most gay men. For example:No gay upl are monogamoGay upl don’t have sexls relatnshipsAll gay men like anal sexGay men don’t have erectn issuHe suggted openg the topic of sexualy wh some ial you open or monogamo?
Like any other relatnship, gay relatnships are not whout their challeng. From munitn problems to timacy issu... * common issues in gay relationship *
Clton’s QutnsI recently asked Clton Power to give me a list of qutns that heterosexual therapists might not know to ask gay upl. Here are some excellent qutns he gave me for your fortable are you wh showg affectn to each other public, such as holdg hands, kissg, huggg, or acknowledgg publicly you're a gay uple? I thk evinced-based approach don’t take the perspective of specific suatns like specific challeng of the gay, lbian etc muni.
I appreciate that this article begs to open up potentially hidn issu gay male partnerships, and to dispel myths about such partnerships. Send, if your gay male clients intify as tops or bottoms, kdly do not assume that top = domant and bottom = submissive.