Navigating Sexual Orientation Across the Life Span: Responding to Sharon’s Concerns as a Social Worker

SEXUAL ORIENTATION ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN
You may think of someone’s sexual orientation as a fixed part of their identity—gay, straight, asexual, bisexual, etc. But this is not true for all. For some, sexuality is fluid, meaning it changes over time and due to environmental factors and life circumstances. For others, they may be living one reality while suppressing their true sexuality due to societal pressure. Only later in life do they awaken to who they truly are.
Social workers must develop strategies for working with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community as they navigate life and evolving notions of identity. In this Discussion, you practice skills in responding to just such a situation. Your client is a woman who has been in a heterosexual marriage for many years before coming to realize she is gay.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
TO PREPARE:
Review the Learning Resources on sexual orientation development and on LGBTQ aging.
View the Video Case: Sharon video and consider how you would respond to Sharon’s concerns as a social worker.
Write a post (its for a video) in which you directly respond to Sharon as her social worker. In your video, be sure to situate what Sharon may be feeling within middle adulthood and demonstrate empathy for her experience. Then, in your post, reflect on your approach and the practice skills you displayed.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Required Readings
Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Chapter 13, “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” (pp. 604–639)
Fabbre, V. D. (2017). Agency and social forces in the life course: The case of gender transitions in later life.Links to an external site. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 72(3), 479–487. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbw109
Ferguson, A. D., & Miville, M. L. (2017). It’s complicated: Navigating multiple identities in small town America.Links to an external site. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(8), 975–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22507
Greene, D. C., Britton, P. J., & Shepherd, J. B. (2016). LGBTQ aging: Mental health at midlife and older adulthood.Links to an external site. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling,10(4), 180–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2016.1233839
Hereth, J., Pardee, D. J., & Reisner, S. L. (2020). Gender identity and sexual orientation development among young adult transgender men sexually active with cisgender men: ‘I had completely ignored my sexuality … that’s for a different time to figure out.’Links to an external site. Culture, Health, & Sexuality, 22, 31–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2019.1636290
Human Rights Campaign.Links to an external site. (n.d.). Glossary of terms. https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms
Walden University Library.Links to an external site. (n.d.). Subject research: Social work. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/subject/socialwork
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