Description:
Featuring chapters written by scholars and clinicians who are also members of the LGBTQ+ and ally communities, LGBTQ+ Affirmative Addiction Counseling: In Their Own Words addresses a significant gap in addiction counseling knowledge for LGBTQ+ clients with substance use disorders (SUD+). The book integrates LGBTQ+ affirmative counseling principles with evidence-based addiction counseling to cultivate ethical, culturally responsive treatment practices.
The book provides readers with practical strategies to create inclusive and affirming spaces that foster resilience and lasting behavior change. Topics span a multitude of considerations, from understanding SUD+ trends within LGBTQ+ communities to discussing specific challenges faced by transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive individuals. This book also fosters practical skills such as developing queer-affirming relapse prevention plans, harm reduction, and bolstering LGBTQ+ sexual wellness in recovery. The text incorporates reflections from LGBTQ+ individuals who have lived experiences with the continuum of substance use, process addictions, and recovery.
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Addictions Counseling is ideal for graduate programs focused on addiction counseling, LGBTQ+ studies, and mental health practice.
Brief description: Michael P. Chaney is a professor in the Department of Counseling at Oakland University. A Licensed Professional Counselor (MI, GA) and an Approved Clinical Supervisor, he has demonstrated competencies working with LGBTQ+ clients in residential inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities, community mental health and substance use disorder agencies, and transitional recovery housing. His identities as a gay, cis male strongly influence his clinical and scholarly passions.
Review Quotes:
"This text is a masterful roadmap for practitioners striving to provide the inclusive, affirming care every LGBTQ+ client deserves. With an equity-focused and systemic lens, Chaney and Brubaker guide readers through critical areas of practice such as identity development, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based assessment and intervention. It's a practical and approachable resource that emerging and seasoned counseling professionals are fortunate to now have at their fingertips." Danica G. Hays, Ph.D., Dean and Professor, American Counseling Association Fellow
"LGBTQ+ Affirmative Addiction Counseling: In Their Own Words uses a strong affirmative lens to frame addiction counseling through an approach that validates and celebrates LGBTQ+ identities. By centering queer voices and experiences, it offers addiction counselors nuanced insight into how affirmation fosters recovery, resilience, and trust. The result is a forward-thinking resource that models what genuinely inclusive, identity-affirming addiction treatment should look like." Bradley T. Erford, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University