Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People

271 Pages·2018·4.018 MB·English

by  Gerald P. Mallon

Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender People
Although the vast majority of LGBT persons are healthy, resilient, and hardy individuals who do not
seek social work intervention, some have been or will be clients in social work agencies. The third
edition of Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People updates this classic
text and expands its scope to include new content on social work with older and younger LGBT
people. Written by a team of highly experienced experts, this book provides a knowledge base for
practice that will better prepare students and practitioners for working sensitively, competently, and
effectively with LGBT individuals and groups.
Comprehensive and practical, this unique text discusses the pragmatic aspects of social work with
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. It will improve and reinforce competent practice with
LGBT persons and their families in multiple settings. Chapters focus on important topics such as:
• the profession’s core values and ethical principles;
• social work and queer theory;
• LGBT and race – heterosexism, racism, and sexism;
• applying the life model and the stress- coping process;
• practice with bisexual, transgender, and gender non- conforming persons;
• relationship building between lesbian partners;
• the impact of creating family for lesbian couples;
• internalized homophobia, heterocentrism, and gay identity;
• group work practice with the LGBTQ community;
• clinical assessment for families where sexual orientation is an issue; and
• LGBT parenting.
There are also new chapters on social work with LGBT young people and LGBT older people.
Complete with a highly detailed appendix of symbols, definitions, and terms, Social Work Practice
with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People, third edition, is an invaluable resource for social
workers and mental health professionals as well as for students and educators at all levels of experience.
Gerald P. Mallon, DSW, is the Julia Lathrop Professor of Child Welfare and Associate Dean of
Research, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in New York City.

Social Work Practice with
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender People
Third Edition
Edited by Gerald P. Mallon
First published 2008
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Selection and editorial matter, Gerald P. Mallon; individual chapters,
the contributors
The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing- in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Mallon, Gerald P., editor.
Title: Social work practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people /
edited by Gerald P. Mallon.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. | Earlier
edition: 2008. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017005751| ISBN 9781138909885 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138909892 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315675190 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Social work with gays—United States. | Social work with
sexual minorities—United States. | Gay men—Services for—United States. |
Lesbians—Services for—United States. | Bisexuals—Services for—United
States. | Transgender people—Services for—United States.
Classification: LCC HV1449.F68 2017 | DDC 362.89/65320973—dc23LC
record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017005751
ISBN: 978-1-138-90988-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-90989-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-67519-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Garamond by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk
For Nancy Ramputi, again
Who was there for me on day one as a colleague when I began my career
more than 42 years ago, and who has been there for me every day since as
my friend, my sister, and my family, reminding me always of why we wanted
to be social workers in the first place.

Contents
About the editor ix
List of contributors x
Acknowledgments xii
1 Knowledge for practice with LGBT people 1
gerald p. mallon
2 Values and ethics 19
peg mccartt hess
3 Practice with bisexual people 30
geordana weber
4 Practice with transgender people 42
carrie davis
5 Practice with lesbian individuals and couples 66
s. j. dodd and laura c. booker
6 Practice with gay individuals and couples 90
michael lasala
7 Group work practice with LGBT people 112
mitchell rosenwald
8 Practice with LGBT people within families 126
gerald p. mallon
9 Practice with LGBT youth 148
jama shelton
10 Practice with LGBT parents 165
gerald p. mallon
viii | Contents
11 Practice with LGBT older adults 198
daniel s. gardner and nancy giunta
12 Community practice with LGBT people 208
elijah c. nealy
13 Organizational practice with LGBT people 225
edgar colon
Appendix: key definitions and terms 238
Index 251
About the editor
Gerald P. Mallon, DSW, is the Julia Lathrop Professor of Child Welfare, the Associate Dean of
Scholarship and Research, and the Executive Director of the National Center for Child Welfare
Excellence at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in New York City.
For more than 42 years, Dr. Mallon has been a child welfare practitioner, advocate, educator, and
researcher. Dr. Mallon was the first child welfare professional in the country to research, write about,
and develop programs for LGBTQ youth in child welfare settings.
Dr. Mallon’s scholarship and practice has been recognized through multiple awards, including the
Judge Richard Ware Award – Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund; the New York State Citizens Coalition
for Children Advocacy Award; the Hosteter-Habib Award, Family Equality Council; the Child
Advocate of the Year Award – North American Council on Adoptable Children, and induction in
2014 as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. He serves on numerous
editorial boards and is the senior editor of the professional journal Child Welfare and the author or
editor of more than 23 books. His most recent publications are: Child Welfare for the Twenty-First
Century: A Handbook of Practices, Policies, and Programs (2nd edition); and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Trans Foster and Adoptive Parents: Recruiting, Assessing, and Supporting Untapped Family Resources for
Children and Youth (2nd edition).
Dr. Mallon earned his doctorate in Social Welfare from the City University of New York at
Hunter College, and holds an MSW from Fordham University and a BSW from Dominican College.
Correspondence may be sent to Dr. Mallon at: 2180 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10035
or via email at [email protected].