Advocacy Plan
The Ohio State University Columbus Campus has taken action to positively change the campus climate and better meet the needs of LGBTQQIAP students on campus. Throughout out the state of Ohio, nestled away in small towns and nostalgic buildings, are five branch campuses. Every campus has a counseling page and at least one mental health professional available to students for free mental health services. The website vary in content, some note sexual identity as a reason for seeking services while others do not mention the topic. This advocacy plan specifically calls on employees of the branch campuses to match the energy and progress of the main campus to change the climate and better meet the needs of LGBTQQIAP students on all six campuses. In collaboration with Counseling and Consultations Services, branch campus mental health staff will be invited to make their websites and services more inviting to sexual minorities on their campus. Educational materials and online templates will be sent to these professionals to aid in this process. Communicating the needs of this population to other professionals, and encouraging advocacy and allyship on other campuses, will aid in creating a more welcoming and supportive environment across the state, to all 65,000 students.
Servant Leadership Plan
The Ohio State University is privileged to have a multitude of on-campus resources for students who identify as being a member of he LGBTQQIAP population. Where improvements can be made is in the communication and collaboration of these organizations. As part of a Servant Leadership plan, I first propose Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS) designate a liaison to the Multicultural Center (MCC). As we do with Veteran organizations on campus, this liaison would serve as a point person to ensure the unique needs of the LGBTQQIAP population were being met. I propose a monthly meeting with the representatives from the 17 different LGBT identified student organizations on campus would be held to first understand the needs of the population and then to coordinate service to ensure those needs are met. The committee would be co-chaired by the CCS liaison and the MCC LGBTQ Student Intercultural Specialist. The committee would put the needs of the students first and work to serve them through their university roles. Regardless of the nature of the needs, the committee’s sole charge is to find ways within The Office of Student Life to work behind the scenes and serve the population.
The strength focused needs of LGBTQQIAP Student on College Campuses
Positive psychology often notates the importance on having a strength based focus when specifically working with a minority population. Generally speaking, a focus on the problems and struggles of a population can easily lead to negative perceptions by others and negative self-thoughts by members of the population. The systematic and interpersonal oppression (i.e. laws and policy, persecution, rejection) of the population often leads to an increase in resiliency and the development of character strengths. LGBTQQIAP students may develop persistence, pride, a stronger sense of community, love, courage, integrity, and bravery in response to this oppression. With these strengths in mind, Vaughan et. al (2014) discuss action steps to better work with LGBT individuals. Fostering a sense of community requires safe spaces for social interaction to occur. Pride can be increased through communal public gatherings and celebrations of the identity. Courage and persistence must be supported with information about safe resources available to students on campus. Policy must be in place to allow students to persist and excel, not discriminate against them and hold them back. Allies should be trained and identified to change the culture on college campuses.
Vaughan, M. D., Miles, J., Parent, M. C., Lee, H. S., Tilghman, J. D., & Prokhorets, S. (2014). A content analysis of LGBT-themed positive psychology articles. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(4), 313.
Systematically, members of the college LGBTQQIAP community face a campus climate full of homophobia, heterosexism, transphobia, and cissexism. On an even larger scale, the socio-political climate of the local, state, and national governments do not seem to be in favor of laws that level the playing field for members of the LGBTQQIAP community. Just recently legislation has been voted on that could deny necessary protections and limit rights. College counselors must become active advocates for this population on campus (Brubaker, Harper, & Singh, 2011). Many campuses nationwide have begun to address these and other concerns through ally and advocate training programs. The Multicultural Center here at The Ohio State University offers “Safe Zone Training” which aims “to create a more welcoming and more inclusive campus environment, to strengthen community, and to encourage networking among faculty, staff and students”. This training begins by addressing the issues and concerns faced by members of the LGBTQQIAP community and ends with ways to engage in allyship. More information can be found on their website listed below.
http://mcc.osu.edu/education-and-training/lgbtq-education-dialogues-programs/safe-zone-training/
Brubaker, M. D., Harper, A., & Singh, A. A. (2011). Implementing multicultural social justice leadership strategies when advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning persons. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 3(1), 44-58.
Ebersole, R. C., Noble, J. J., & Madson, M. B. (2012). Drinking motives, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategies in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender college students. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 6(4), 337-352
Research indicates that LGBT youth are more likely, than their heterosexual peers, to not only engage in alcohol use but also in heavy episodic drinking and yet the researchers found that there are no studies on protective behavioral strategies (PBS, i.e. always know what you’ve been drinking, or avoid mixing alcohol with prescription drugs) or motives (i.e. coping, social, conformity) within this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among drinking motives, negative alcohol-related consequences, and use of PBS in LGBT college students. One hundred and forty-three traditionally aged, self-identified LGBT college students, who reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days, completed a survey that assessed daily drinking, PBS use, negative alcohol related consequences, and drinking motives. Statistical analysis suggest that LGBT college students may be using alcohol as a means to cope with their mental health concerns (i.e. depression, anxiety) more frequently than their heterosexual counterparts. This study demonstrates a need for mental health counselors to identify (or at least be attune to) drinking behaviors in clients who identify as LGBT, collaboratively work with students to identify motives, and teach this population constructive affective coping skills.
Hirsch, J. K., Cohn, T. J., Rowe, C. A., & Rimmer, S. E. (2017). Minority sexual orientation, gender identity status and suicidal behavior: Serial indirect effects of hope, hopelessness and depressive symptoms. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15(2), 260-270.
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of sexual identity on cognitive and emotional functioning and the consequent relation to suicidal behavior within a college student LGBTQ population. The authors examined the mediation effects of hope, hopelessness and depressive symptoms (three unique constructs) in this population. The authors reviewed literature demonstrating the problem at hand; showing the reader the vulnerability of college LGBTQ students and the high risk of suicide in this population. The authors determined that a gap in the research examining specific variable (mood, future orientation) that may explain the risk of suicidality within this population exists. Three hundred and forty-nine students from a rural Southeastern United States university completed items that assessed demographics, suicidal behavior, trait hope, hopelessness, and depressive symptoms. LGBTQ status was significantly positively associated with hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behavior, and was negatively associated with overall trait hope. The sample size and demographics were limiting but the results may hold important clinical implications that reach far beyond this sample. LGBTQ populations appear to be vulnerable to suicide due to disruptions in mood (temporal functioning). Suicide prevention efforts may be focused on reducing feelings of hopelessness while bolstering hopefulness, leading to a strengths-based approach that emphasizes these constructs as well as agency.
Seelman, K. L., Woodford, M. R., & Nicolazzo, Z. (2017). Victimization and microaggressions targeting LGBTQ college students: Gender identity as a moderator of psychological distress. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 26(1-2), 112-125.
The purpose of this study was to examine both blatant victimization and microaggressions and their association with psychological distress among LGBTQ college students. The article first reviewed recent articles notating the blatant discrimination LGBTQ students face on “hostile” college campuses such as physical and sexual assaults or threats of violence. The article then focused on the lack of research in this population’s experience with microaggressions such as gay jokes, slurs, and record reporting and keeping. As the LGBQ student population is becoming more visible, trans collegians are targeted more frequently. This study analyzed the relationship between microaggressions and psychological distress (self-esteem, perceived stress, and anxiety) among LGBTQ students through a survey containing items to measure LGBTQ discrimination on campus, psychological distress, and demographics. Four hundred and ninety-seven college students, recruited via a LGBTQ listserv, completed the survey. The results suggest that blatant victimization and microaggressions are each independently associated with lower self-esteem and higher levels of perceived stress and anxiety symptoms. Researcher found that gender moderated the relationship between victimization and self-esteem such that trans students had a more strongly negative association between victimization and self-esteem than cisgender students. These results suggest both forms of aggression must be taken into consideration when working with and advocating with members of the LGBTQ community. The small convenience sampling and its demographics (low percentage of trans identified students) are a limitation of this study.
Woodford, M. R., Kulick, A., Garvey, J. C., Sinco, B. R., & Hong, J. S. (2018). LGBTQ policies and resources on campus and the experiences and psychological well-being of sexual minority college students: Advancing research on structural inclusion. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000289
This study investigated the association between campus-based structural factors designed to promote the inclusion of sexual and gender minorities and the experiences and psychological well-being of cisgender LGBQ+ college students. The authors reviewed literature that demonstrate the heterosexist discrimination, increase in stress, psychological distress (including anxiety and depression), and negative outcomes that LGBTQ students face on college campuses. The authors then focused on research that reviewed the effect of pro-LGBTQ initiatives (i.e. antibullying policies, supportive programs) and their positive influences on students. Two hundred and sixty-eight cisgender LGBQ+ students, from 24 universities, whom represented each U.S. Census region, completed an anonymous web-based survey that included which university they were attending, experiential heterosexism, psychological well-being (including distress and self-acceptance), and demographics. The researchers created, scored, and paired a pro-LGBTQ policy and resource measure with each student’s response based on an evaluation of the school in which the student reported attending. The results suggest that campus-based structural initiatives, a LGBTQ courses (for credit), and LGBTQ student organizations can lower rates of heterosexist discrimination on college campuses. By lowering rates of discrimination, these initiatives may (indirectly) foster LGBT+ students’ psychological well-being.
Worthen, M. G. (2011). College student experiences with an LGBTQ ally training program: A mixed methods study at a university in the southern United States. Journal of LGBT Youth, 8(4), 332-377.
Although LGBTQ ally programs are becoming more popular, the author found a lack of research examining the efficacy of these programs. This study explores the college student experiences with an LGBTQ ally training program with a two part, mixed-methods design. The author first described the discriminatory nature of college campuses towards LGBTQ students and then focused on describing the ways in with all training programs combat these discriminatory cultures. A qualitative analysis of 66 student ally reaction papers suggests ally training programs increase awareness and create alliances between heterosexual and LGBTQ students while also creating support for the program. A quantitative analysis of 804 undergraduate sociology students examined their attitudes held towards the LGBTQ population based on the students’ knowledge of and involvement in the ally training program. The data suggests knowledge of the ally training program may be correlated with supportive attitudes and participation in the program is positively related to supportive attitudes toward LGBT individuals, even when controlling for a variety of demographics. This study provides empirical support for the use of ally training programs on college campuses. Larger scale analysis, with multiple campuses and multiple program designs, would better demonstrate the effectiveness in LGBTQ ally training programs.