Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling

Special Issue: Diversity Within LGBTGEQIAP+ Youth and Adult Populations

Invited Guest Editors:

Tamekia Bell, Ph.D., Immediate Past-President of SAIGE

Christie Jenkins, Ph.D., SAIGE President 2021-2022

This is a two-part special issue focusing on two critical areas within the broader needs of of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Expansive, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, Ally, and Pansexual (LGBTGEQIAP+) youth and adults. This first part focuses on (1) the needs and experiences of LGBTGEQIAP + children, adolescents, and transition-aged youth, and the second part focuses on (2) the communities among LGBTGEQIAP + adults that are traditionally under-represented in the literature base such as BIPOC, intersex, and international LGBTGEQIAP + populations across the lifespan. Two areas with different life stages in focus, but with evident and important overlaps: the impact of early life experience reverberates in adulthood, and the adults looking after LGBTQ+ youth have an important influence on their coming of age.

The JLGBTQIC is dedicated to featuring rigorous scholarship that addresses the developmental, mental health, ecological, and social needs of LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals and communities. Over the more than 15 years existence of the journal, conceptual and empirical scholarship on how counselors can engage in affirmative counseling work with and on behalf of LGBGEQIAP+ people, whether direct service, teaching and training, or advocacy, has helped moved the professional counseling field towards greater inclusiveness regarding gender identity and sexual-affectional identity diversity and liberation. Areas where the JLGBTQIC has led other journals in terms of featuring original scholarship include novel research on transgender and nonbinary individuals’ mental health, competency statements outlining affirmative frameworks for counseling LGBGEQIAP+ people, wellness and strengths-based counseling and advocacy, theoretical and data-driven articles on applying intersectionality theory to counseling work, and several focused special issues on school counseling with LGBGEQIAP+ individuals. During a time when the open and affirming standard of care for work with LGBGEQIAP+ people in general, and children, adolescents, and youth has come under attack, it is vital that counselor-advocates re-commit to engaging with the wellness and advocacy needs of these historically and currently marginalized populations based on deep awareness of their everyday lived experiences. Counseling, education, and healthcare that is affirming towards the identities, relationships, modes of expression, and lived experiences of LGBGEQIAP+ diverse communities. We want to highlight the needs and best counseling practices for intersecting communities that continue to demonstrate added mental health stress. As a mode of advocacy and in the spirit of asserting the ethical, scholarly, and practice-based support for affirmative counseling as the standard of care for work with LGBGEQIAP+ people, the JLGBTQIC editorial team and guest editors invite the submission of manuscripts that address the two critical needs areas identified below.

First part - The needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ children, adolescents, and transition-aged youth

Topics and focus areas that are especially suited to the first part of the special issue include:

• Primers on what counselors need to know about the resilience, needs, and growth of LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth
• Case-studies on wellness and strength-based best practices in counseling and advocacy with and on-behalf of LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth
• The role of technology in the lives of LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth
• Addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and interpersonal/family based violence and its role on child development.
• The impact of governmental policies affirming or disaffirming towards LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth

Second part - The intersectional diversity within adult LGBTQ+ populations

Topics and focus areas that are especially suited to the second part of the special issue include:

• Advocacy efforts for LGBTGEQIAP+ with intersecting identities (i.e. race/ethnicity, age, disability status, social class, religion/spirituality)
• Primers on what counselors need to know about working with LGBTGEQIAP+ communities with intersecting identities
• Allyship/Accompliceship for LGBTGEQIAP+ communities
• LGBTGEQIAP+ across the world - what counselors need to know
• Leadership development with and among LGBTGEQIAP+ BIPOC communities

Timetable

Full-length manuscripts due: October 15^th, 2023

Initial disposition and feedback to authors: November 15^th, 2023

Revised manuscripts due: January 15^th, 2024

Final manuscripts due and cross-checking completed: March 15^th, 2024

Manuscripts published: Target for first issue August, 2024

Questions about manuscript suitability and appropriateness should be directed to Jeff Moe at [email protected].

For authors: select the special issue title when submitting your paper in ScholarOne.

We accept papers based on conceptual, qualitative, and quantitative research.

Theme 1:  LGBTQ+ children, adolescents, and transition-aged youth

Topics and focus areas that are especially suited to the first part of the special issue include:

• Primers on what counselors need to know about the resilience, needs, and growth of LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth
• Case-studies on wellness and strength-based best practices in counseling and advocacy with and on-behalf of LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth
• The role of technology in the lives of LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth
• Addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and interpersonal/family based violence and its role on child development.
• The impact of governmental policies affirming or disaffirming towards LGBTGEQIAP+ children, adolescents, and youth

Theme 2: The intersectional diversity within adult LGBTQ+ populations

Topics and focus areas that are especially suited to the second part of the special issue include:

• Advocacy efforts for LGBTGEQIAP+ with intersecting identities (i.e. race/ethnicity, age, disability status, social class, religion/spirituality)
• Primers on what counselors need to know about working with LGBTGEQIAP+ communities with intersecting identities
• Allyship/Accompliceship for LGBTGEQIAP+ communities
• LGBTGEQIAP+ across the world - what counselors need to know
• Leadership development with and among LGBTGEQIAP+ BIPOC communities

Timetable

Full-length manuscripts due: October 15^th, 2023

Initial disposition and feedback to authors: November 15^th, 2023

Revised manuscripts due: January 15^th, 2024

Final manuscripts due and cross-checking completed: March 15^th, 2024

Manuscripts published: Target for first issue August, 2024

Questions about manuscript suitability and appropriateness should be directed to Jeff Moe at [email protected].

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article