LGBTQ+ Sexual Health: Affirming Practice and Clinical Competence
A graduate-level, two-hour continuing education course preparing mental health and behavioral health clinicians to deliver affirming, culturally responsive sexual health care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (SGM) clients. Grounded in minority stress theory, contemporary affirming clinical frameworks, and the empirical literature on LGBTQ+ health disparities, the course translates research into concrete clinical competencies. Learners examine the structural and interpersonal stressors that drive disparities, distinguish gender identity from sexual orientation, apply affirming assessment and intervention frameworks, address LGBTQ+ specific sexual health concerns, and identify—and avoid—the most common errors that undermine affirming practice.
2
CE Hours
What you'll learn
- Explain sexual minority stress theory and describe at least three mechanisms by which distal and proximal stressors produce measurable sexual and behavioral health disparities in LGBTQ+ populations.
- Differentiate the constructs of sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and apply an affirming clinical framework that integrates these distinctions into assessment and treatment planning.
- Identify LGBTQ+ specific sexual health concerns—including HIV/STI prevention, gender-affirming care considerations, and relationship structures—and select culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions.
- Demonstrate core affirming clinical competencies, including inclusive intake practices, appropriate use of language and pronouns, and trauma-informed responses to disclosure.
- Recognize and correct common affirming-practice errors, including microaggressions, pathologizing identity, and the failure to address structural and intersectional context.
Approval & credit
CounselorReady is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP #7760). This course awards 2 NBCC-approved CE hours; a certificate is issued on completion. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CounselorReady is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.