Coming Around: Parenting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Kids
I’m gay.” When a child confides these words to a parent, they can totally transform the relationship. Whether that results in a closer bond or a broken one is dependent upon the parent’s ability to accept, nurture and honor the child, whatever his or her sexual orientation.
Coming Around is a resource for understanding and coming to terms with a child’s sexual orientation and maintaining a dialogue between parent and child. With compassion and wisdom, Dohrenwend addresses parents’
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Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People
A new, more comprehensive edition of the classic Social Work text
Although the vast majority of LGBT persons are healthy, resilient, and hardy individuals who do not seek social work intervention, some have been or will be clients in social work agencies. Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People is the updated classic text that has expanded its scope to include new content on practice with bisexual and transgender populations—and incorporated this content
List Price: $ 190.00
Price: $ 158.88
A Sound Guide for Parents and Youngsters Coping with Coming Out,
Anne Dohrenwend has presented to the public a book that is far more valuable than she probably realizes. She comes to her mission of `parenting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender kids’ with a depth of experience that is impressive (she is involved in teaching medical residents and in being a therapist certified in Clinical Health Psychology), but her gift is that of a credible and genuinely concerned writer who has that ability to hold a reader’s attention even on a tough topic for some parents.
What this book offers is a solid resource and discussions about sexuality, the terminology, the histories of people whose sexual and gender choices are away from that ominous `midline of normalcy’, the problems LGBT citizens face on a daily basis (bigotry, social and religious prejudices, bullying, physical harm and even death): the generous format of the book is the tenderness in which she presents to families (parent AND children whose sexuality strays from the norm) the sound, grounded advice on how to manage the situation of sharing feelings and in turn responding to differences in a caring and loving manner.
Within the covers of this book Dohrenwend encourages and instructs parents in compassionate and pragmatic tools to assist their dealing with the fact that they have children whose sexuality is a minority group. But in the author’s words, `The book is largely geared toward coming out during the age of adolescence and young adulthood. I believe it will be useful for those with adult children who’ve come out later in life as well. Many of the struggles are the same, regardless of age.’ From there she addressing coping with first reactions when a child comes out to a parent, offers an intense discussion of just what homophobia is and the problems their child is destined to face, being supportive while the child grows into a healthy adulthood, the pertinent health problems the child will face and how to prevent them, and finally how to support their child’s stance in helping with the political obstacles in gaining the rights of equality in marriage and other legal protections.
If there is an overriding theme here it is one of unconditional love that truly is the most important support mechanism a child can have. While the book is for parents it is a book that will help young people (of all ages!) cope with the process of coming out, maintaining dignity in the face of a world not yet mature enough to deal with true equality, and at the same time allow the one who is coming out a healthy picture of what parents face in coping with a situation they probably didn’t expect. Anne Dohrenwend has written one of the finest books on this subject and hopefully it will find its way into book clubs, schools, sociologists’ and psychologists’ and physicians’ armamentaria. Grady Harp, October 12
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|A Long Awaited Book,
This book should be a must read for schoolteachers and administrators, physicians and clinicians (particularly pediatricians), and any others who may be called upon to intervene in issues of the developing child. Particularly, the book deals with parenting of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children. So if you are involved with gay children and their parents, you should read this book. However, many of the books chapters have much broader applicability.
To be fair, I am not completely unbiased as a reviewer of this book, as I know Dr. Anne Dohrenwend professionally and personally. I am a practicing physician, and her professional advice has helped me in caring for gay and transgender patients and understanding their unique concerns. She is very well respected in the community, albeit not (yet) famous. While she is moderately outspoken, her passion is helping individuals and families, and her contributions have been mostly clinical and on a one-by-one basis. It is hard to save the world one-by-one, so I am glad she has finally put much of her teachings in a book format.
I learned about Dr. Dohrenwend’s upcoming book after reading an insightful article she published in the Journal of the American Medical Association several months ago. The book has lived up to my expectations. I do not have (as far as I know) a gay child, but I find that much of the book’s chapters can be equally applied to any other group of individuals that is stereotyped. Thus, “Dissecting Stereotypes”, “Casualty Cruelty”, and “Bullying” address issues of concern for all parents. How would you deal with the situation if you found that your child was being cruelly bullied for something s/he believed in? It could be that your child is gay, but Dr. Dohrenwent also points out that lefties faced similar discrimination at one time. Maybe your child wears a turban or hijab? My child is a brainy nerd, and certainly that can sometimes be a handicap in our lowest common denominator world.
The book delves more deeply into other very specific issues, such as “Can Sexual Orientation be Changed” (no), “Understanding Homophobia”, “First Reactions” and what to say and what not to say (so that you don’t estrange your child and destroy the parent:child relationship). These chapters should be read FIRST by a parent BEFORE discussing sexual orientation with your child, if you suspect s/he is gay.
Very important chapters deal with “The Birds and The Bees” and “Health Risks”. As a physician, I frequently care for patients with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, which could have been prevented with proper education and behavior. The hospital also admits many suicidal children, and the matter in question is often a relationship. Healthy sexuality is important, but paramount is safe sexuality. Dr. Dohrenwend discusses adjustments to gender orientation, including emotional health and suicide risk, alcohol and substance abuse. She discusses STDs, though not in very great detail. Also discussed but not in great detail is the subject of hormonal therapy. These are subjects that are beyond the scope of this book, but can be pursued further in the helpful list of references in the back of the book.
The book is smattered with case examples, which brings things down to the personal level. I would like to read an entire book (or maybe a blog site?) of just case examples, as they are very interesting.
The primary audience of this book is the parent of a child who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. It is a most helpful if read to answer your questions and concerns BEFORE there is confict and confusion. It is also a good book just for background on the subject. We all want what is best for our children. The goal of this book is improving the future lives of children who just happen to be in the sexual minority.
I would give this 5 stars.
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|THANKYOU DR. DOHRENWEND,
For writing a book that will help parents, adolescents, educators, therapists and medical personnel understand and address the issues facing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals in such a positive way.
This book provides many wonderful insights and wisely allows the reader to become familiar and educated in a step by step manner. The suggested dialogues and possible courses of action will provide a helpful first step to those who would otherwise be unsure of how to proceed. The vignettes added a nice personal touch and the resources should be invaluable to all readers.
This book can and should be recommended to anyone with an interest in the subject. It does not sugarcoat the problems but at the same time presents the very real positive outcomes that can emerge from “coming around”.
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|book for school,
It is a good book on the subject
I would recommend it to anyone in the field of social work
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|A Credit to the Disclipline,
This text offers insight into working with LGBT people, including factions that others may not think about, like minorities and the elderly. It touches on concepts which matter to all social workers. Working with LGBT people is addressed pervasively, both in a a wide variety of pratice methods and across the lifespan. This book is great for all social workers, as well as anyone who is passonate about social justice.
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