Using the Multiple Lenses of Identity: Working with Ethnic and Sexual Minority College Students.

The authors discuss the complexities of working with clients with dual minority status (i.e., sexual orientation and ethnicity). The authors explore the multiple contexts that influence ethnic and sexual minority clients' self-concept. A case illustration of a Puerto Rican lesbian college student is presented, and suggestions for implementing multiple lenses in counseling dual minority clients are offered. ********** Researchers report that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals seek counseling services at a higher rate than do their heterosexual counterparts, with 50% of LGB individuals, as compared with 6% of their heterosexual counterparts, stating that they have had some experience with counseling (Nystrom, 1997). In contrast to the high use of services by the LGB population, underutilization of counseling services by ethnic minorities has been a concern for many clinicians (Atkinson, Morten, & Sue, 1997; Brinson & Kottler, 1995). In a recent study of utilization of services by ethnic minorities at a university counseling center, Davidson, Yakushka, and Sanford-Martens (2004) found that only 2.4% of ethnic minority students sought out counseling services. Researchers have hypothesized that the underutilization of services may be due to the biased nature of counseling services (Sue & Sue, 2003). As the counseling field aims to provide culturally competent services, it is crucial for counselors and clinical supervisors to understand and address the societal obstacles that interfere with and affect both ethnic minorities and LGB clients' quality of life (Israel, Kristi, Detire, & Burke, 2003; Sue & Sue, 2003). Additionally, it is important for counselors and supervisors to understand the complexities of multiple dimensions of identity within and across multiple minority clients (e.g., ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender; Reynolds & Pope, 1991). The demands surrounding being both a visible and invisible minority can prove highly stressful (Greene & Boyd-Franklin, 1996). For example, some members of ethnic/cultural communities find the concept of LGB identification and the LGB lifestyle to be "westernized White middle-class phenomena" (Harper, Jernewall, & Zea, 2004, p. 188), thereby viewing LGB people of color as individuals who have rejected their own cultural values in favor of being seen as more "White." A high incidence of intolerance of LGB persons in ethnic communities often compounds the distress for ethnic sexual minorities, who may choose one identity over the other as a coping mechanism (Fassinger, 1998; Morales, 1990). Given the inability to hide one's race or ethnic features, ethnic sexual minorities may often choose to "pass" for heterosexual members of their ethnic communities (Fukuyama & Ferguson, 2000). Sexual minority individuals may also struggle to be at peace with their sexual identity as a result of larger social messages that proclaim them to be "flawed or sinful" (Palma & Stanley, 2002, p. 77). Oppressive and discriminatory messages of racism, homophobia, and heterosexism have been found to be psychologically harmful because they lower self-esteem, increase self-loathing, foment internalized racism, and increase self-helplessness (D'Augelli, Hershberger, & Pilkington 1998; Miville, Koonce, Darlington, & Whitlock, 2000). Counselors are encouraged to be aware of social identity, isolation, prejudice and oppression, and family issues in their work with LGB clients (Palma & Stanley, 2002; Rutter & Leech, in press). In addition, clinicians need to acknowledge the sociocultural context and power arrangements that intersect and limit the life stories of both therapists and sexual minority clients (Estrada, Frame, & Williams, 2004; Helms & Cook, 1999; Laird, 1994; Sue & Sue, 2003). Estrada (2005) suggested that both clinicians and clinical supervisors dedicate time to reflect on the personal impact of existential sociopolitical forces (e. …