Nurturing the Relationships of All Couples: Integrating Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns Into Premarital Education and Counseling Programs

Transgender College Student Identity Development: A Narratology of Intermediating Experiences

“…Although this focus has provided understanding of how counselors can intervene to promote mental wellness in the lives of TGNC college students, there is a dearth of research about how TGNC students' identity development and struggle for safety in being authentic are impacted based on their college environment and experience. Although their sample extended beyond college-age students, Casquarelli and Fallon (2011) offered one example of how humanism aligns with social justice advocacy and can be enacted in counseling practice with same-sex couples.…”

“…The purpose of this research is to explore how gender roles and stereotypes affect the experiences of TGNC college students and their use of counseling services. This study combats historical stereotypes of TGNC people as immoral, unnatural, and pathological (Casquarelli & Fallon, 2011) using a humanistic frame to assert that TGNC people are worthy of validating experiences and environments that promote growth and personal development.…”

Efforts to Design, Implement, and Evaluate Community‐Based Education for Stepfamilies: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

“…Others, however, have critiqued existing program options designed for and based on studies of heterosexual couples as being insensitive or insufficient for sexual minority couples. For example, Casquarelli and Fallon () stressed the need for same‐sex relationship education programs to address legal concerns, relationship issues resulting from societal discrimination, ways to nurture healthy relationship development within a social context that perpetuates bias, and strategies to develop supportive social networks. Although these are not common topics in most couple education programs, they do align with some content in existing stepfamily education programs on structural complexity and the existence of community and institutional bias (see Adler‐Baeder & Higginbotham, ).…”

Same-Gender Marriage: Implications for Social Work Practitioners

“…Premarital counseling could provide a wealth of support and guidance to lesbians, gays, and bisexuals to nurture their relationships in the midst of societal discrimination, legal prohibitions, and other forms of social injustice that are enacted against same-gender marriages. The development of programs to address these and related issues could be strengthened by linking same-gender and bisexual couples with successful couples who have experienced and resolved various challenges related to their sexual identities (Casquarelli & Fallon, 2011).…”

“…They can also facilitate marriage equality by conducting and disseminating research and by engaging in political advocacy efforts in conjunction with national organizations, such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which are nationally organized political voices for the U.S. LGBT community (Callahan, 2009). With regard to the need for premarital counseling for same-gender couples, social workers can play an important research role to increase their understanding (Casquarelli & Fallon, 2011).…”