Moving Beyond CACREP Standards: Training Counselors to Work Competently with LGBT Clients

Abstract

This article suggests specific training standards are needed to challenge the silence around lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in Counselor Education and to disrupt heterosexist practices in counseling training. The manner in which the CACREP Standards addresses the LGBT population is called into question, as the 2009 and the second draft of the 2016 standards continue to be vague concerning this population. The challenge of utilizing the historically exclusive and presently inclusive term “multicultural” in counseling when considering the LGBT population is examined. Recommendations for Counselor Education programs to go beyond the minimal CACREP Standards for preparing students to provide culturally competent services for the LGBT population are offered. Author's Notes Address correspondence to Omar A. Troutman, Department of Counselor Education, University of South Carolina, 266 Wardlaw College, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. E-mail: troutman@mailbox.sc.edu; omar.troutman@gmail.com