Introduction

In 1989, the author was doing his pre-doctoral internship at a family service agency in Northern California. Like many agencies that rely upon the assistance of interns, this facility offered affordable mental health care to residents of the community. Since he was the only trainee interested in working with children, most of his clients were young boys and girls, brought to therapy by their parents to help them cope with divorce, trauma, and other significant life changes. The work he did with them made him aware that issues couples face are often the same, regardless of the sexual orientation of the two people. He also came to understand that being a sexual minority does exert unique influences on a relationship. As Joel Frost says, there are no clear guidelines that specify who is and is not qualified to work with sexual minorities. Often, gays and lesbians assume any licensed mental health professional is able to provide them with adequate services.