Integrating Sexual Identity and Career Development

1. Integrating Sexual Identity and Career Development A Workshop by: Megan Sparks, Dawn Baldwin, Brandon Stoothoff, Jenn Carr

2. Overview of GLBT Workshop • Focus on raising awareness of barriers • Identifying stages of sexual orientation • Acknowledging difficulties with coming out in the workplace • Increase comfort level of answering personal questions • Increase knowledge of support and resources in the area • Taking a positive perspective • Learning about laws and policies associated with GLBT in the workplace

3. Rationale for GLBT Workshop • Considering the limited research on this population, our presentation on the workshop will highlight the various points throughout the sessions of the workshop. There are not sufficient resources for detailed interventions for the GLBT population. We are left to demonstrate intervention ideas and flesh them out with our own clinical experience.

4. Introduction

5. 8:00am-9:00amInterests and Barriers to Careers • Goal: The participant will increase their awareness of their interests while acknowledging perceived barriers due to their sexual identity. • Objective: (1) The participant will complete a career interest survey online during the one hour session.(2) The participant will articulate three perceived barriers to careers based on their interests. • Interventions: (1) The facilitators will lead a discussion about the participants interests and the perceived barriers to jobs that may not allow them to pursue their interests.(2) The facilitators will administer the Career Interest Survey to the participants.

6. 9:15am-10:15am What is your Workplace Sexual Identity? • Goal: The participant will be able to identify their stage of sexual identity in the workplace. • Objective: (1) The participant will complete the Workplace Sexual Identity Management Measure during the one hour session.(2) The participant will be able to identify the four workplace sexual identity stages during the one hour session. • Intervention: (1) The facilitators will administer the Workplace Sexual Identity Management Measure to the participants.(2) The facilitators will discuss each of the stages of the workplace sexual identity and will provide a handout describing the four stages.

7. 10:15am-12:15pmComing out or Transitioning in the Workplace • Goal: The participants will acknowledge the difficulties involved with presenting their sexual identity in the workplace. • Objectives: (1)The participants will indicate two concerns about being out at work.(2)The participants will indicate two pros and two cons about being out at work.(3) The participants will identify one aspect of the professionals' speech that relates to them.(4) For transgendered participants, they will review the checklist of tasks for transitioning in the workplace and identify one task that they will feel the most apprehensive about completing. • Interventions: (1) The facilitators will provide two GLBT professionals who are out in the workplace. These professionals will describe their experiences of coming out in the workplace and describe being out in the workplace to the participants.(2) The facilitators will engage the participants in an open discussion about difficulties presenting their sexual identity in the workplace.(3) The facilitators will provide a checklist of tasks for transitioning in the workplace for transgendered individuals.

8. Coming out or Transitioning in the Workplace Continued… Pros of Coming Out at Work • You can be open and honest about how you spend your free time and who you are spending it with. • It may end or lessen rude jokes or derogatory comments pertaining to gay and lesbian individuals made by co-workers. • Being open about yourself may form stronger bonds and relationships with co-workers. • The stress of living a double life and having to hide a part of yourself may subside. • Your confidence and job performance could improve. Cons of Coming Out at Your Job • You may get fired or be ”let go” • Some co-workers may treat you differently now that they know your sexual identity. • Co-workers may not treat your partner as kindly as they would treat the significant other of straight co-workers.

9. 1:00pm-1:30pm • How do I answer that? Responding to Interview Questions and Uncomfortable Situations in the Workplace/ Discrimination • Class activity

10. 1:00pm-1:30pm How do I answer that? Responding to Interview Questions and Uncomfortable Situations in the Workplace/ Discrimination • Goal: The participants will increase their comfort level in responding to uncomfortable questions in the workplace. • Objectives: The participant will be able to identify one written or verbal response to an uncomfortable question encountered in the workplace. • Interventions: (1) The facilitators will ask for a volunteer and ask the volunteer one of the uncomfortable questions. After the participant gives his/her response, the facilitator and the participant will discuss the response given. They then will continue to practice the question and answer until the participant feels confident in giving this response in a workplace setting.(2) The facilitators will provide a handout that lists difficult and uncomfortable questions that may be encountered in the workplace.

11. 1:30pm-2:30pmResources specific to this area • Goal: The participants will increase their knowledge about the career and support resources in the area. • Objective: (1) The participant will peruse the provided websites during the one-hour session.(2) The participant will write down 3 phone numbers or websites they could use in the future. • Intervention: The facilitators will provide a listing of various resources with description of these resources and how to obtain to them (website).(2) The facilitators will mention the idea of job shadowing and the benefits it may have for the participant.

12. 2:45pm-3:45pm Why do I feel Different? • Goal: The participants will learn how to alter their thinking to a more positive perspective. • Objectives: (1) The participants will give one negative thought and a reframe for that thought. • Interventions: (1) The facilitators will psycho-educate the participants about the destructive quality of negative thoughts. (2)The facilitators will provide an example of a negative thought and a positive reframe for the thought. The facilitators will give a work-related example of a negative thought and a reframe for the thought. The facilitators will encourage the participants to give their own negative thoughts and subsequent reframes.

13. Reframing (Class Exercise) • "All of my plants died. I will never be a good parent.“ REFRAME: Just because I have not paid attention to my plants, does not mean I will not pay attention to my children. • "I will never be accepted. No one will ever take me seriously.“ REFRAME: Although I may not feel accepted now, I need to continue to work because I am important, and I do matter to this company. • Additional Possible Negative Thoughts: "People are laughing at me because I am different.""People will not feel comfortable around me when I tell them I am (GLBT)."This company only filled me to fill a quota: I am only a statistic."

14. 4:00pm-5:00pm Policies and Legal Issues • De facto • De jure

15. 4:00pm-5:00pm Policies and Legal Issues • Goals: The participant will be educated on relevant work-related policies and laws that affect the GLBT population. • Objectives: The participant will share one reaction to one of the policies shown. • Interventions: (1) The facilitators will show and explain 5 short summaries of Pennsylvania laws relating to GLBT discrimination. (2) The facilitators will ask the participants for reactions and thoughts based on the PA Law of GLBT discrimination and encourage discussion.

16. Conclusion • Why do you think we asked you different questions than we normally would have asked in our actual workshop?

17. References • Budge, S.L., Tebbe, E.N., & Howard, K.A.S. (2010) The work experiences of transgender individuals: Negotiating the transition and career decision making processes. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(4), 377-393. • Datti, P.A. (2009). Applying social learning theory of career decision making to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young adults. The Career Development Quarterly, 58, 54-63. • Pope, M., Barret, B., Szymanski, D.M., Chung, Y.B., Singaravelu, H., McLean, R., Sanabria, S. (2004). Culturally appropriate counseling with gay and lesbian clients. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 158-171. • Van Den Bergh, N. (2003). Getting a piece of the pie: Cultural competence for glbt employees at the workplace. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 8(2/3), 55-73.