Mindfulness and SIT
Dr. Erica Tan and Dr. Mark Yarhouse recently completed an article that appears in the latest issue of Psychotherapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by the APA. The article focuses on the use of mindfulness in providing Sexual Identity Therapy (SIT). Here is the abstract:
With the increasing relevance of sexual minority concerns, including the process of navigating sexual and religious identities, clinical practice has focused on helping sexual minorities address methods of self-expression taht are most congruent with the client’s values. Sexual Identity Therapy (SIT) (Throckmorton & Yarhouse, 2006) has been developed to assist individuals who are seeking to address potential conflicts between religious and sexual identities by focusing on personal congruence. To facilitate this process, the practice of mindfulness is applied. As an adaptation from its spiritual origins, mindfulness is used to facilitate the treatment of various disorders, such as chronic pain, substance abuse, and depression. It has also been the crux of several different third-wave cognitive and behavioral therapies that consider the “…context and functions of psychological phenomena” (Hayes, 2004, p. 5) for the purpose of helping clients to develop “…broad, flexible and effective repertoires” (p. 6). In this instance, mindfulness is applied to SIT to assist individuals with same-sex attraction to become nonjudgmentally aware of their thoughts and feelings related to same-sex attraction such that they are able to experience their attractions in an open and honest manner without feeling compelled to either dismiss or augment these attractions. Mindful awareness of same-sex attraction facilitates congruence because there is less emphasis on changing behaviors, thoughts or feelings, but rather, changing the relationship the individual has to their experiences of same-sex attraction so that they are experienced as neutral, as opposed to aversive.
Training on Sexual Identity Therapy
The Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity (ISSI) co-sponsored an all-day training on Friday, October 1, 2010. Over 70 professionals and students attended the workshop, which was led by Dr. Mark Yarhouse and held on the Regent University campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The morning portion focused on professional and ethical issues, drawing on recent statements and documents from various mental health organizations, as well as recent case decisions that have involved value conflicts in counseling training and practice. The segment in the early afternoon provided a research and theoretical basis for sexual identity therapy by examining models of sexual identity synthesis and milestone events in sexual identity development. This session also introduced the audience to the Sexual Identity Therapy Framework itself. The final session bridged the prior material to the practice of sexual identity therapy with a focus on (1) a three-tier distinction between attractions, orientation and identity; (2) weighted aspects of identity; (3) attributional search regarding the meaning a person makes of their attractions; and (4) congruence.
Fall Training Announced
Dr. Mark Yarhouse is offering an all-day workshop on addressing sexual identity in clinical practice. The workshop will be held on the Regent University campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It will be held Friday, October 1st, 2010, from 9am to 4pm. On-line registration is now available here.
From the registration page:
This workshop will introduce participants to sexual identity issues often addressed in clinical practice. Participants will learn about professional and ethical issues in navigating sexual and religious identity considerations. Participants will also learn foundations for the practical applications of sexual identity therapy in their work with people who experience same-sex attractions.
The workshop is co-sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity and Genesis Counseling Center.
