Book: Social Work Practice with the LGBTQ Community, edited by Michael Dentato
The Social Work Practice with the LGBTQ Community, edited by Michael Dentato, is a wonderful and timely text which makes an excellent addition to the library of evidence-based and culturally competent care. The book is subtitled, The Intersection of History, Health, Mental Health, and Policy Factors and provides insight into how the intersection of various factors affect the needs of members of the LGBTQ community. I highly recommend Social Work Practice with the LGBTQ Community as a good read and a good tool to incorporate into practice. This text provides insight into the varying needs across lifespans and provides additional information on relevant topics such as substance misuse, health disparities and HIV/AIDS. Because of its layout consisting of competency building, lifespan considerations, affirming practice approaches and then health factors this book is an excellent choice for both new and experienced mental health professionals in nursing, social work, counseling and psychology. Each chapter has an examination of current trends in the field pertinent to developing best practices in social work and ends with an excellent reference section for further reading. The implications for practice and the conclusion sections of the chapters provide quick and helpful access to beneficial information.
The Social Work Practice with the LGBTQ Community book is divided into four sections, with the first section being an overview to build knowledge and competency into LGBTQ historical oppression and the journey to what the text refers to as social and economic justice. Members of the LGBTQ community in professional practice could benefit from learning the history and different perspectives shared in the text, because even though not everyone has the same experiences, understanding the historical struggles creates more understanding and empathy. The second section provides considerations to consider across the lifespan ranging from coming out and identity development to relationships and life changes. The text focuses on a strength-affirming perspective working with LGBTQ youth and also a strengths perspective for working with adults. The third section provides practice resources which could add to the knowledge base of an experienced practitioner or serve as a primer for the student or new practitioner in social work or mental health recovery. It is important for practitioners to understand the varied experiences of members of the LBGTQ community and that those experiences are as rich and diverse as the community. Even as a member of the community with experience in nursing and counseling work, these chapters added to my professional practice knowledge base. The fourth and last section covers the intersection of physical and mental health factors. This section excellently addresses major factors impacting the community, substance misuse disorder and intimate partner violence. The text also addresses the intersectional considerations of LGBTQ people of color and mental health distress. The final chapter of the book and this section is my personal favorite, as it addresses health disparities and HIV. Too often in practice, professional organizations and publications are health disparities, most especially those disparities associated with HIV, put on the back burner. It was refreshing to have HIV be kept in the conversation as it often forgotten in this era of biomedical interventions.