Treating Emotional Disorder In Gay Men

Emotional problems do not discriminate according to sexual orientation. Therefore, gay men have the same emotional difficulties as everyone else. When emotional problems in gay men are viewed solely as the product of sociopolitical events, it limits the therapeutic intervention to correction. Dr. Kantor asserts that the gay-aware supportive therapist can treat the emotional problem with a positive result by meeting the needs of the individual patient with a diagnosis-based treatment approach.

Supportive psychotherapy for gay men with emotional problems can eliminate a broad range of emotional difficulties that are not exclusive to gay men. It shows therapists how psychological problems can be buried in a gay context and guides them to recognition and dynamic evaluation that forms the basis of a treatment plan that is simultaneously affirmative, supportive, and corrective.

Review: ?Kantor cogently identifies the pitfalls of either extreme approach...eloquently established that gay men who seek mental health services often suffer from 'specific emotional problems that are independent of or secondary to their homosexual it.' This work is a valuable resource for mental health professionals.?-Journal of Psychotherapy in Independent Practice