Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child

Michael C. LaSala

eISBN: 9780231512992

2010 (304 pages )

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Complete Book Download (pages 1-304)

Download Table of Contents
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Table of Contents (pages 7-8)

Download Foreword, by Monica McGoldrick
(pages 9-12)
Foreword, by Monica McGoldrick (pages 9-12)

Download Preface
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Preface (pages 13-16)

Download Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments (pages 17-22)

Download 1. Family Sensitization
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1. Family Sensitization (pages 23-70)

Download 2. Family Discovery: The Youth Come Out
(pages 71-102)
2. Family Discovery: The Youth Come Out (pages 71-102)

Download 3. Family Discovery: Parents React
(pages 103-155)
3. Family Discovery: Parents React (pages 103-155)

Download 4. Family Recovery
(pages 156-204)
4. Family Recovery (pages 156-204)

Download 5. Family Renewal: The Gift of the Gay/Lesbian Child
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5. Family Renewal: The Gift of the Gay/Lesbian Child (pages 205-237)

Download 6. Race and Ethnicity
(pages 238-252)
6. Race and Ethnicity (pages 238-252)

Download 7. Areas for Future Research and Concluding Thoughts
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7. Areas for Future Research and Concluding Thoughts (pages 253-268)

Download Appendix: Research Methodology
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Appendix: Research Methodology (pages 269-274)

Download References
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References (pages 275-286)

Download Index
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Index (pages 287-304)

Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child

The discovery that a child is lesbian or gay can send shockwaves through a family. A mother will question how she's raised her son; a father will worry that his daughter will experience discrimination. From the child's perspective, gay and lesbian youth fear their families will reject them and that they will lose financial and emotional support. All in all, learning a child is gay challenges long-held views about sexuality and relationships, and the resulting uncertainty can produce feelings of anger, resentment, and concern.

Through a qualitative, multicultural study of sixty-five gay and lesbian children and their parents, Michael LaSala, a leading expert on this issue, outlines effective, practice-tested interventions for families in transition. His research reveals surprising outcomes, such as learning that a child is homosexual can improve familial relationships, including father-child relationships, even if a parent reacts strongly or negatively to the revelation. By confronting feelings of depression, anxiety, and grief head on, LaSala formulates the best approach for practitioners who hope to reestablish intimacy among family members and preserve family connections—as well as individual autonomy—well into the child’s maturation. By restricting his study to parents and children of the same family, LaSala accurately captures the reciprocal effects of family interactions, identifying them as targets for effective treatment. Coming Out, Coming Home is also a valuable text for families, enabling adjustment through relatable scenarios and analyses.

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Table of Contents

Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child

Author(s): LaSala, Michael C.
Abstract:

The discovery that a child is lesbian or gay can send shockwaves through a family. A mother will question how she's raised her son; a father will worry that his daughter will experience discrimination. From the child's perspective, gay and lesbian youth fear their families will reject them and that they will lose financial and emotional support. All in all, learning a child is gay challenges long-held views about sexuality and relationships, and the resulting uncertainty can produce feelings of anger, resentment, and concern.

Through a qualitative, multicultural study of sixty-five gay and lesbian children and their parents, Michael LaSala, a leading expert on this issue, outlines effective, practice-tested interventions for families in transition. His research reveals surprising outcomes, such as learning that a child is homosexual can improve familial relationships, including father-child relationships, even if a parent reacts strongly or negatively to the revelation. By confronting feelings of depression, anxiety, and grief head on, LaSala formulates the best approach for practitioners who hope to reestablish intimacy among family members and preserve family connections—as well as individual autonomy—well into the child’s maturation. By restricting his study to parents and children of the same family, LaSala accurately captures the reciprocal effects of family interactions, identifying them as targets for effective treatment. Coming Out, Coming Home is also a valuable text for families, enabling adjustment through relatable scenarios and analyses.