189 Joyce Miles Jacquote Presents a Primer for Working With Bisexual and Pansexual Clients

If you work with clients, chances are you are already working with someone who is bisexual or pansexual, whether they have disclosed it to you or not. In this episode, Joyce Miles Jacquote joins me to unpack what bisexual and pansexual clients are actually navigating behind the scenes and what therapists need to understand to provide affirming, ethical care.

We talk about minority stress, identity concealment, community belonging, and why bisexual and pansexual individuals often experience marginalization both outside and inside queer spaces. Joyce also walks through the mental health impacts clinicians are most likely to encounter, including depression, anxiety, internalized stigma, and relationship stress.

One part of this conversation that really stood out to me was the discussion around invisibility. Clients in straight-presenting or same-gender relationships are often told, directly or indirectly, that their bisexuality no longer “counts.” That erasure has real emotional consequences and therapists need to know how to recognize it.

We also spend time discussing faith, identity conflict, and what authentic living can look like for clients navigating conservative religious systems. This conversation is practical, compassionate, and deeply relevant for therapists working in any setting.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  Why bisexual and pansexual clients often delay disclosure in therapy 
•  How minority stress affects mental health outcomes 
•  What identity concealment can look like clinically 
•  Why community belonging matters for bisexual and pansexual clients 
•  How therapists can create more affirming clinical environments 

Connect with Joyce at Overcoming Miles Counseling.

Want to learn more? Check out this month's free resource from Kate Walker Training. 

If this episode raised questions about documentation, supervision, or ethical LGBTQ+ affirming care, those are exactly the conversations we continue inside the Step It Up Membership.

Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit. 

Transcript

Stereotypes And Real-World Harm

SPEAKER_01 0:00

These are the things that bisexual plus individuals are up against. There's often an assumption that bisexual and pansexual individuals are thought to be sexually interested in anyone and everyone. I have had clients that were adolescents were not allowed to dress out in the gym in the main locker room. They had to go change in the teacher locker room because they were known to be bisexual and they might be staring at the other boys or the other girls and making them uncomfortable because they're attracted to everyone. And so then we had this marginalization that we had to deal with.

Why Bisexual Plus Clients Get Missed

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Welcome to Badass Therapist, building practices of the life. If you work with clients across the gender and sexuality spectrum, today's episode is one you're going to want to share. Joyce Miles joins us to walk through a primer for working with bisexual and pansexual clients, covering what clinicians need to know to show up competently and compassionately for this often misunderstood and underserved population. Whether you're newer to this area or just looking to sharpen your practice, this conversation is full of practical insight. And now, Joyce Miles. Welcome

Meet Joyce And Set The Goals

SPEAKER_02 1:29

to Thursday evening. I'm so excited you're here doing something amazing for yourself, getting a CE. And I'm really happy to introduce our presenter because Joyce, you've never presented for us before. And you're presenting for us twice this year, once for this group, and then again in the fall for the Texas Supervisor Coalition for Supervisors. Joyce, tell us about you, tell us about your practice and tell us about the topic tonight. And let me verify we're recording. Yes, we are. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Thank you. So I actually was on a panel last year for you. It was a supervisor panel.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

You're the third person that has told me that. And I actually got to meet somebody in person at the TASES conference. They're like, I was on your panel. I was like, it's quite amazing.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

It was quite a bit of us. So that's probably why. Yeah. I'm well then I'm glad to see you again. So my name is Joyce Miles Jacote. I'm a licensed marriage of family therapist. I am a supervisor and I'm also LCDC. I own a small virtual group private practice. And we serve Texas, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Washington. And I call my practice a training practice because they all have to fly the coop after one year post-school licensure. So they all start with me in internship. They go through until they're fully licensed, and then they get to fly the coop and go about their way. I'm very proud. I just had one who just flew the coop last month. So very excited for her and all the things she's going to accomplish. And today I'm going to be presenting a primer for working therapeutically with bisexual and pansexual clients. I'm hoping a lot of this is stuff you guys already know. But just in case you don't, I love questions. I love interactions. I'm going to try my best to share this without any ado because technology and I don't like each other. I try. We just don't get along. So let me see if I can share. Oh, sharing is not burned.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Let me get you. I will, I will get that. And for everyone, whatever Joyce shares with me, I will put directly into your profile. So I will get it to you as soon as she gets it to me. And uh Joyce, if you have any resources you want them us to have, uh, I'm happy to pass those along as well.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

All right. So I felt it's important to start off with my social location, real quick, because that shapes how I take in information and disseminate it. So I identify as a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, black, cisgender woman. I always joke if you come to my family reunions, it's the United Nations. And we're playing, How are we related to whom? I identify as bisexual and I'm in a straight presenting marriage. This is why this topic is so important to me. Because when I was searching for my own therapists for the first time years ago as an adult, I had a really hard time finding a therapist who knew how to work with bisexual individuals. I will say, as a member of the queer community, I am comfortable with saying queer as a descriptor of myself and my community. I encourage people who are not queer to not use that word because I'm sure as many as you know, it was used for as a slur for many, many years. And for some people, it still is a sore spot. If a client of yours uses the word queer to describe themselves, then feel free to use it to describe them. I'm a non-church attending Christian in the Bible belt and consider myself more religious and more spiritual than religious. And I am neurodivergent and have several invisible illnesses, so I will be fidgeting and moving around. I'm just trying to get comfortable. So, what are the objectives? The first one is to be able to define bisexual, bisexual, bisexuality, and pansexual pansexuality. Second, gain an understanding of the common realities of pansexual and bisexual individuals. Three, learn what common mental health issues can appear in individuals who identify as bisexual or pansexual. Four, understand the therapeutic modalities that may be beneficial to use with clients who identify as pansexual or bisexual. And five, develop an understanding of the do's and don'ts of working with fear clients. So

Key Terms And Identity Language

SPEAKER_01 5:34

I always like to start off with some relevant definitions. I'm not going to go through all of them. You guys will have them to look at, but I find a lot of times we think we know what a definition is, or we don't know it and we're afraid to ask because we feel like we should know. So BIPOC, Black Indigenous People of Color is a common one you'll see. Bisexual, bisexuality, historically framed as being attracted to both genders. Bisexuality has been reframed as referring to people who are attracted to one's own and other genders, including those outside the gender binary, binary biphobia. We'll talk more about that. Hetonoctivity, internalized homophobia. We'll talk more about that a little later, too. So I'm not going to read that one. Intersectionality will also talk about monosexism, the belief that monosexuality is superior. Monosexuality refers to the sexual romantic attraction to only one gender. So we see this a lot in the work we do as clinicians, unfortunately, which also shows up in the research and why there is limited research on queer individuals to begin with, especially bisexual and pansexual queer individuals. Pansexual, pansexuality, commonly used to describe someone who is attracted to people regardless of gender or to all or many genders of people. This term is sometimes specifically used to be inclusive of attraction to individuals across the gender spectrum. And queer and then QPOC, acronym for queer people of color. So queer identity, bisexuality, and pansexuality. So queer is an umbrella term. What is that? An umbrella term is a term used to cover a wide-ranging subject rather than one specific term. Personally, I like queer because the acronym LGBTQIA plus is an awful. And so, because I could use it, I do, but I do recognize that it is an umbrella term. Queer began to be reclaimed in the late 1980s by LGBTQIA plus individuals. Although Queer has been reclaimed by some members within the community, it has not been reclaimed by all and thus can still be seen as a slur by some within the community. Oftentimes you will see more people, millennials in down who are comfortable with queer, and Gen X and up may or may not, just depending on their interaction with it as adults. So we generally see that difference. I've even come across some Gen Z, because I don't see the little little so Gen Z who don't know the history behind the term queer anymore. To them, it is a completely acceptable term. It doesn't have the pejorative nature that it used to have, which I'm honestly glad to see, but it's interesting to see that dichotomy coming about. Non-monosexual, an umbrella term under another umbrella term, monosexism monosexual. Like I said, it's the belief that monosexuality is superior, it's the norm. Non-monosexual, also known as plurisexual, is an umbrella term for individuals who are attracted to more than one gender, i.e., bisexual and pansexual individuals. So this is a good word to use if, okay, LGBTQI plus is a mouthful. You can use non-monosexual, preferably plurisexual. It is more seen in academic nature. So maybe your clients won't see it as much as often unless they're more well-read into that. But it is an option. There is a growing belief that sexualities outside of monosexual ones should be considered outside of how they exist relative to monosexual identities. So when it comes to queer identities, pansexuality and bisexuality included, a lot of times it is looked at how it compares to monosexuality. And instead of taking that viewpoint as okay, monosexuality is the norm, and then bisexuality and pansexuality are deviations from that, it's looking at those identities as they stand alone. Or is it the bisexual umbrella? Bisexual itself can also be used as an umbrella term. Bisexual, bisexuality will often appear as bisexual plus, bise when utilized as an umbrella term. The bisexual umbrella can include bisexuality without the plus, pansexual, queer, fluid, hetero, flexible, homoflexible, non-monosexual, etc. So all those more specific ways people identify themselves. I always say it's kind of like a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is a square. Bisexuality, pansexuality could be found in bisexuality, but bisexuality cannot be found in pan. Guadalupe at all 2017 found that individuals under the bisexual plus umbrella were more likely to use multiple and overlapping labels to capture their identity. So this is where you may see bisexual plus demisexual plus anything you name, or pansexual plus gender fluid plus anything else. So we as bisexual individuals are more likely to have other descriptors to describe ourselves, just kind of like how I introduced myself. I'm cisgender, I'm multi-ethnic, multiracial, black, I'm bisexual. I've recently come to realize I'm a little bit more on the asexuality fluidity than I really realized at first. So it's just a better way of identifying who I am to others.

Bisexuality And The Bisexual Umbrella

SPEAKER_01 11:02

So bisexuality and pansexuality are they synonyms? And as you probably have already realized, they are not synonymous, although some think they are. Bisexuality and pansexuality appear to be synonymous because there's overlap between the two. Yet, despite the overlap, they are both distinct. Research has found that those who are gender diverse are more likely to identify with being pansexual. I wish I could play the video, but nine times out of ten, it doesn't work for me one day. I'm going to figure out how to do it. But you will get this slide and you can follow the link and watch it on your own. It's a really good description of the differences between the two. Along with those who are gender diverse, be more likely to identify as pansexual. We are also seeing Gen Z and Jed Alpha are more likely to identify as pansexual rather than bisexual as well. So we're seeing that shift in how the younger generations identify.

Bisexual Vs Pansexual Differences

SPEAKER_01 11:56

So intersectionality, a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that often are not understood among conventional ways of thinking. So why intersectionality, when you talk about bisexuality and pansexuality, intersectionality is important when working with poor individuals because people can have more than one marginalized identity. For example, QPOC, like I said earlier, stands for queer people of color and it's identifier that highlights two marginalized identities that can exist together. So just like I was saying earlier, bisexual plus individuals are more likely to have more identifiers as they describe themselves, and they are more likely to be marginalized identifiers. So it's important to understand the intersectionality that goes on and the kind of bounding of inequality of not being seen or platformed in general society that can come with that.

Intersectionality And Minority Stress

SPEAKER_01 12:56

Minority stress theory. Minority stress theory posits that minority groups experience stress stemming from experiences of stigma and discrimination, which in turn places them at risk for a number of negative physical and mental health outcomes. So bisexuality and pansexuality are already minoritized in general when you compare to the heteronormative culture that we live in. And then within the queer community themselves, they are also further marginalized. So you have yourself being a minority group within a minority group. So it is these layers that come out. Unfortunately, for many, many years, and it's still there. People considered bisexuality as a pit stop to the way of being gay or lesbian. There was often those within the queer community who was like, you're not really bi, you're you're just a lesbian, you'll come to admit it to yourself someday soon, or you're not really bi, you're actually a gay man, you just need to accept it. So it is this sense of being a minority group within a minority group and not really having a home. Minority stress are hypothesized to exist along a continuum from distal stressors, which are external to the individuals. For example, discrimination and proximal stressors, which are internal to the individual, such as internalized stigma, rejection sensitivity, identity concealment. Within the queer community, there's a lot of identity concealment that goes on to survive in the heteronormative world. Even within the queer community, there is a lot of identity concealment that happens in order to be accepted. For example, there are many lesbian clubs that do not long look fondly upon bisexual women being there, especially if that bisexual woman is currently partnered with a heterosexual man. So there might be identity concealment within that to be able to go and socialize with your fellow queer peers in order to feel accepted. So they may not say they're bisexual, they may say that they're lesbian, they may not let their friends know that they're dating a man. They may keep that information to themselves in order to find acceptance.

Concealment And Community Gatekeeping

SPEAKER_01 15:14

So the BIP plus BIPOC experience, biplus BIPOC individuals are more likely to disclose their sexuality less. And when they do disclose their sexuality, they often don't feel that they can be open about it the same way their European American BIPLUC counterparts can. So when you're working with queer people of color, it is important to know that in general, they are less likely to identify their queerness allowed until they know you're a safe person. And by plus BIPOF individuals are even less likely. So you may be working with somebody for six months, a year before they let that be known, especially if you don't have any identifiers on your website or in your office that you are a safe space for that. Often nowadays, I see a lot of BIP BIPOC individuals exclusively searching for providers who have that information up on their website or on their psychology today profile because it's so important for them to find people who are going to be able to hold space for all their identities. BIPLUS BIPOC individuals are more likely to engage in concealment of their sexual identities due to having multiple marginalized identities. What I tell people is I am black every day of the year. I cannot hide that. I don't want to hide that. But I can conceal my bisexuality if I want to, especially in an environment where I feel it could be potentially harmful for me. I can pass as a heterosexual woman because I am married to a man. And so I may choose to do that. So you can often see that with biplus BIPOC individuals, they might again conceal their queerness for one reason or another. The lack of representation of BIPLUS BIPOC individuals in media has found to have a negative impact on BIPLUS BIPOC individuals' experiences within community and belonging. So we don't see a lot of representation of BIP individuals. Oftentimes, when you do see it in media, and I talk a lot about this with my adolescent clients, it's often again that trope of they're gonna come out gay later on, they're gonna come out lesbian, or it was just that it was college and they were being free and wild, and now they're straight. So there's not a lot of good representation. So a lot of times, clients may not have the words to describe who they are because they haven't been introduced to it in media. With the advent of social media, that's kind of changed. There's more stuff out there, but it's still not as widespread as we would like to like it to be. So internalized homophobia. Internalized homophobia occurs when a person is subject to society's negative perceptions and tolerance and stigma toward people with same-sex attraction. They then turn those ideals inward, believing that they are true and experience self-hatred as a result of being a socially stigmatized person. I often see this with my advice plus people, but pan plus people. And not only do they have internalized homophobia because they don't think they should be queer, they often have it because they think I should just be able to choose one. I should just be able to choose that I like men or I like women. Why do I have to like both? They'll often graffle with maybe I am just being a flirt, maybe I just didn't want a lot of attention because those are often negative associations with the biplus. So you will often see that come up for people who are graffling, but that okay, I'm not straight, but I'm not gay or lesbian. What am I? And kind of just trying to figure that out. Sealing one's sexual identity has been found to lead to higher levels of internalized stigma, homophobia, rejection sensitivities, and acceptance concerns. We especially see this more in more conservative areas. So this is Texas, it is part of the Bible belt. You will see this a lot with clients who are grappling with their queerness, especially if they are bi or pan. You will see this even more so with queer clients of color because it tends to be more stigma within the BIPOC community towards queerness than within the mainstream European-American society.

Belonging Helps, Barriers Hurt

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Building community, the positive impact of community, bisexual plus and pansexual individuals have found to report experiences as more positive when they feel as though they belong to a community. Bisexual plus individuals express the importance of belonging to the bipressed community. So community is very important. One of the things as mental health professionals, we should be doing is encouraging our clients to participate in community, whether that be in person or online. A lot of times we think, oh, in-person community is superior. Research has shown that's not necessarily the case when it comes to queer individuals, especially bisexual and pansexual queer individuals. Community is community, and oftentimes community online is more readily accessible, especially again, VR in the Bible belt. So encouraging community. So that may be Discord groups, that may be playing online games that cater more towards the queer community. This may be social media pages that cater to five people or pan people, just finding that community and engaging. Pansexual and bisexual plus individuals who feel they belong to the queer community or some subset of it may report receiving or providing support, normalization, acceptance, and visibility of identity, and have a place to discuss shared experiences. So it is even more so important when bisexual plus individuals, pansexual plus individuals can find acceptance within the queer community or subset of it because it gives you a larger support network, more people to be in community with. So definitely encouraging those interactions. Barriers to building community, barriers to community create a lessened sense of belonging and connection to community for pansexual and bisexual individuals. Biphobia and anti bisexual prejudice and discrimination are often barriers to community and but belonging. So again, a lot of Of times there's that I thought that bisexuality isn't real, it's a pit stop. Sometimes you will see bisexual plus people explicitly excluded from the queer community. Now we don't see this as much anymore, which is good, but it still happens. I think back to like Stonewall and the riots that led to gay liberation happening. Bisexual individuals were explicitly excluded from that. They were actually told to, hey, step back. The rest of the world isn't ready for you guys yet. Let's focus on getting gay and lesbian individuals, the recognition, the status, and then we'll come back and circle around to you. There are still some historically gay clubs, uh, social organizations that are not open to bisexual or pansexual individuals. So it's not as prevalent, but it is still there. Bisexual plus and pansexual individuals may face barriers to accessing seeing more than one community, including the queer community, their faith community, their school community, and their ethnic cultural community. So, how to help bisexual and pansexual individuals build community, increase bipositivity and pan positivity, create environments with bisexual plus and pansexual individuals can authentically come out to others as it can cause a positive and I left off word outcome should be there. I'll fix that, of course, in that. And then encourage bisexual plus and pansexual individuals to find others experiencing similar things to build community with. So, yes, finding bisexual, other bisexual individuals, other pansexual individuals to be in community with is important, but being in community in general is important for bisexual and pansexual individuals. So it doesn't even have to be centered around sexuality. It could be around a common love of D or choir or whatever it is, just finding community where there's exceptions. So romantic relationships. The majority

Relationships, Erasure, And Visibility

SPEAKER_01 24:04

of research on queer romantic relationships and marriage have focused on gay and lesbian relationships, further marginalizing biplus relationships. We have seen more research come out on biplus individuals, which is good. It's very helpful. Biplus individuals are more likely to specify sexual, romantic, physical, andor emotional attraction. Marriage has been found to reinforce the gender binary and often will erase bisexuality and pansexuality. I have seen this in myself. Like I said, I married a heterosexual man. My bisexuality is often erased. I've been to pride celebrations where I've gotten looked at and I've been approached as an ally. And I'm like, no, do you see the colors I'm wearing? I am repping the body flag right now from head to toe. I'm still a bisexual individual, even though I am married to a heterosexual man. I've seen this with clients as well. And it could go either way if they are in a gay relationship, their bisexuality or pansexuality may be erased. Vilkin et al. 2021 stated that partnered bisexual plus individuals may not experience the positive benefits of partnership compared to gay and lesbian and heterosexual individuals. So what this is, what this means is oftentimes when you get married as a heterosexual individual or a gay lesbian individual, there comes some positive benefits of marriage. Oftentimes we tend to report greater happiness, better stability, less illnesses. Now, this is all predicated on the fact that you are in a healthy, happy marriage. For bisexual plus people, pansexual plus people, oftentimes we don't see as much benefit or any benefit. And it is usually due to the loss of that other, that bisexual or pansexual identity. Wayne in Feinstein 2022 found that some bisexual plus individuals found that not being limited by the gender of potential romantic or sexual partners as a positive experience, meaning that I am still able to maintain my bisexuality no matter who I am partnered to. So that ability to retain that to still be seen as bisexual or still be seen as sexual by my community is a positive factor. Hypersexualization,

Hypersexualization And Fetishization Myths

SPEAKER_01 26:24

bisexual plus and pansexual individuals are often thought to be hypersexual andor promiscuous. This is part of the common myth that bisexual plus and pansexual people have to fight against, often seen as they just want to have sex with anyone. That's why they say they're attracted to all or both, or everything in between, often thought to be promiscuous and that they will not remain faithful in relationships. There is no evidence to back any of that up. Research that has been done should actually show that bisexual plus and pansexual plus individuals are often more committed to relationships than their heterosexual counterparts. But these are the things that bisexual plus individuals are up against. There's often an assumption that bisexual and pansexual individuals are thought to be sexual, sexually interested in anyone and everyone. I have had clients that were adolescents and were not allowed to dress out in the gym in the main locker room. They had to go change in the teacher locker room because they were known to be bisexual and they might be staring at the other boys or the other girls and making them uncomfortable because they're attracted to everyone. And so then we had this marginalization that we had to deal with. I myself have had to explain to people just because I am bisexual does not mean I'm attracted to you. And had to explain that it's not just saying I'm attracted to everyone or anyone, I still have you know my type. So we often have to grapple with this, and you may see this come up with clients. Fetization is one of the big ones I've seen more with the rise of social media. So bisexual plus individuals are often fetishized in both the queer community and the heterosexual community. How many of you have heard of unicorn hunting or dragon hunting? So a unicorn or a dragon is a slang term. Typically, unicorn is used for bisexual plus women who engages in sexual acts with couples composed of both a heterosexual man and a heterosexual or bisexual plus woman without the expectation of any emotional intimacy. So you will see this in dating profiles of couples. They will say that they are unicorn hunting, looking for a bisexual plus woman, or they're dragon hunting, looking for a bisexual plus man. You will often see this, especially in the rise of OnlyFans in things like that, the sexualization of bisexual plus and pansexual people on there. So feticising is a big thing. Oftentimes I have had female clients who are bisexual plus who have come out to their heterosexual male partners. And the male partners are like, oh, that's totally cool. You can definitely have another partner as long as it's a woman and as long as I get to watch. So having to navigate that of, okay, they're supportive, but not in a way that feels good. And what do I do with this? So often helping them work through that. So you will see that happen.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

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Quick Break For Supervisors

SPEAKER_02 29:35

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Faith And Queer Identity Conflict

SPEAKER_01 29:52

So before we get into religion, I would like to say there are lots of religions out there. There's no way in heck I can cover them all. I chose Christianity and Islam because I could find references, but I do want to say there are more, and you will see other religions come up when working with bisexual and pansexual individuals. So seven out of 10 Americans identify with some branch of Christian, Christian faith. Um, Levin Har 2018 reported that support sex, same-sex sexuality and same-sex marriage is increasing among people of faith. Queer individuals, even with that in mind, continue to face discrimination, rejection, etc., from the church. Despite the lack of support queer individuals may have from the church, a large majority continue to hold on to their faith. I have seen that of a lot, a lot of people, especially again being in the Bible belt. They come out and they're like, but I'm still Christian. This is still a person part of me. How do I reconcile the two? And being told I'm going to hell, I'm an abomination. And I don't believe that. So helping them like figure out, okay, how does your Christianity and queerness exist in a way that makes you feel good, in a way that feels affirming to you. So due to the interception of their faith and their sexuality, pansexual and bisexual plus individuals can experience that identity, conflict I just made. This can lead to isolation, secrecy, and shame, especially before they reach out for help, especially in teens and young adults who may have not yet explored the world outside of that bubble, perhaps of religion that they have grown up in. I grew up in the Church of Christ. It is very conservative. I did not have an outlet for my own sexuality until I became an adult and was able to not be in isolation, not be in secrecy. Pansexual and bisexual plus individuals may resolve identity conflicts by modifying their religious beliefs or changing places of worship. In addition, authentic living was found to be of importance when holding on to faith while being queer. This may see a shift in your bisexual plus pansexual plus clients becoming more spiritual than religious, like myself. This may be seen as walking away from faith. Although that is not as frequent as people like to think. Oftentimes, what you see is people moving from a more conservative Christian denomination or non-denomination to a less conservative Christian denomination or non-denomination. So, for example, I've had lots of clients who grow up Catholic, they come out as bisexual, pansexual, and they end up moving to Episcopalian because it is a little less conservative than Catholicism tends to be, although that just also depends on the parish you're at. But they shit. So they could still hold on to their faith, but in a way that's more authentic to who they are. So Islam, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Even with that in mind, Muslims make up approximately 1% of adults in the USA. So large, yes, but not as large a community in the US. Due to Islam having no central governing body, it is not possible to state clear policies regarding issues of interest to an LGBTQ people. I searched, I looked, it really just varies from place to place and community to community. Within most mash in the US, a heteronormative binary of gender identification and sexual orientation is usually endorsed. So there's still that heteronormativity that's there. This is what a man's role is, this is what a woman's role is, this is what intimacy and relationships look like. It is still very that binary. Discussion of Islam and queerness is often seen as Western or modern by many Muslims and historically led to little to no conversation taking place regarding queerness. Article after article I read talked about that, that historically that just shut down that conversation. We are seeing a change in that now. Queer Muslims, like their Christian counterparts, may too experience identity conflict due to the intersection of their faith and queer identity. Muslim, bisexual, and pansexual individuals, again, like their Christian counterparts, may address their identity conflict by modifying their religious beliefs or changing their place of worship. I have actually been very surprised about the amount of massage or mos, the word is appropriate, and Texas that are actually more obsessing and affirming. I've had clients and Muslim therapists make me aware of ones that are affirming. So it's been really cool to see that and be able to connect my clients with places of worship that they can actually be fully seen. Speaking of acceptance, organizations trust Muslims for progressive values, MPV, the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and Mecca Institute provide growing opportunities to alternative and meaningful worship for queer Muslims. So if you find yourself working with a queer Muslim in general, especially a bisexual plus or pansexual plus Muslim, these are some great organizations to get them connected with. Any questions before I continue or thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 35:06

I had a question.

SPEAKER_01 35:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 35:09

Um, yeah, so I was just want to ask, like, would you be able to send like a kind of a list of some of the affirming churches in um mosques that you have found or like have been like referred to regarding clients who might be needing that support and resource?

SPEAKER_01 35:27

Yeah, I can definitely send that. And then there's also a website, I forget it right now, but I'll think of it and send that too, where it's more gear churches, although there's some mosques on there and some synagogues that you can type in your zip code and it will tell you if there's any of our main ones near. I can't remember the name of it, but I will find it and include that in there. Perfect. Thank you.

Mental Health Risks Clinicians Should Know

SPEAKER_01 35:51

So mental health concerns, depression and anxiety. Bisexual women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than their lesbian and heterosexual counterparts. This is due to bisexual marginalization, discrimination, prejudice. Those are thought to be some of the main factors behind that. Minority stress is also thought to be a factor. Bisexual individuals in romantic relationships, again, don't reap the same benefit that gay, lesbian or heterosexual people do. It may experience higher levels of anxiety and depression within a romantic relationship, especially if they are with a partner that asks them to deny that bias or panness. There's limited research pertaining to pansexual individuals and depression and anxiety. But what there is suggests that they are more likely, they are more likely to be depressed and anxious compared with their bisexual, lesbian, gay, and heterosexual partners. So what research there is out there on bisexuality is really focused on bisexual individuals, not necessarily pansexual individuals. So again, we're taking little knowledge and like extrapolating it as far out as we can, but it does show that pansexual individuals may be more depression-anxious. And then QPOC are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, even more so when they are bisexual or pansexual. So again, we're talking about that marginalization on marginalization, on marginalization. Body image and eating disorder, bisexual plus, and pansexual individuals are differently impacted by body image concerns than versus heterosexual counterparts. Bisexual men are more likely to have experience disorder eating and weight loss. If you know anything about gay culture, it is mainstream gay culture, it is very much based on looks and appearance and physique. And we see this even more so in bisexual and pansexual men who are looking for acceptance. But then gay mainstream culture, they are more likely to have eating disordered or disordered eating. They are also more likely to get treatment for that because it tends to be more severe requiring hospitalization or some kind of medical intervention. Compared to heterosexual women, bisexual women are more likely to report lower levels of body esteem and body satisfaction. And transsexual women have been found to have even less body sex satisfaction. So we see this in how people, you know, engage with food or their looks. And again, going back to that acceptance within their communities or lack thereof. If you know anything about queer culture, there is a large substance use issue within queer culture. Historically, this is because bars were one of the only safe places we had. So substance use is very rampant, especially among older queer individuals. So queer individuals are more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to have substance use disorders. Bisexual women may be at higher risk of opioid and other drug use disorders compared to their lesbian and heterosexual counterparts. This is thought to be due to feeling that disconnect between their body and wanting to just kind of have even more of a separation. Vilkan et al. So in their study, they found partnered bisexual and pansexual plus individuals more likely to be heavier smokers of both tobacco and cannabis, as well as heavier drinkers of alcohol. And this again goes back to having to deny that part of themselves, that bisexual part of themselves, whether they were partnered with a heterosexual individual or a gay or lesbian individual. Suicidality research has shown that bisexual plus individuals have higher rates of suicidal ideation compared to their gay and lesbian counterparts. Research has also found that bisexual and pansexual individuals in the U.S. have reported higher rates of suicide attempts compared to their gay and lesbian individuals. I know all of us with mental health professionals take any conversation about suicidality very seriously, but please know that pansexual, bisexual plus individuals, we do have a higher rate of attempt. Especially bisexual, pansexual women have been found to have significantly higher race of suicide ideation than their lesbian or heterosexual women. And this is where it's different within the heterosexual community. Men are more likely to complete suicide just due to the methods that they choose. Research that has been done shows that bisexual and pansexual women tend to have a higher rate of suicide completion. So just keeping that in mind. Risk factors for suicidal audience have been associated with such things as exclusion by heterosexual peers, family rejection, and experiences of negative social or religious stigma or discrimination relating to their sexual orientation. So all those things that we've chatted about.

Affirming CBT And Narrative Therapy Tools

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Finally, therapeutic mentalities that may be beneficial when working with pansexual or bisexual individuals. By no means are these all of them or even some of them, these are just a highlighted few. So affirming cognitive behavioral therapy, it can be beneficial for working with bisexual plus and asexual plus individuals who have experienced erasure. Basalom et al. 2006 expressed the importance of assessment and case conceptualization phase of CBT when working with queer individuals, as it allows for the understanding of the environmental, historical, behavioral, cognitive, and physiological variables that may be affecting the client's problems. So basically, taking a moment to really look at what are all these things coming together, those layers of marginalization or intersection that may be present in your client, really taking a deep look at that. In addition, Wasam et al. 2006 stated that the key to queer affirmative therapy is the assessment of the role of sexual orientation in the presentation problem. Meaning that there's often the assumption that if somebody is queer, that their main problem they're coming to therapy is due to their queerness, which may not be the case. It could be due to everything and anything else under the sun. I have had several clients over the years come to me because they went to a mental health provider, and that mental health provider was convinced that their problem was just had to do with their queerness. And either if they came out of the closet or, and again, Bible belt, repented of their sins and stopped being queer, they would no longer have the problem. So I've had those individuals find me to work specifically with me because they're like, my queerness has nothing to do with this. I'm stressed about work. So just keeping that in mind. Narrative therapy, I am biased. I am a narrative therapist. Narrative therapy can be beneficial for working with pansexual and bisexual plus individuals who have experienced the racer. How does this work? The central premise of narrative therapy is the stories we tell about ourselves and that are told about us, shape our identity. So using narrative therapy to help a bisexual or pansexual plus shape a narrative about themselves that is affirming, that is uplifting. Problem-saturated stories are changed in narrative therapy by deconstructing the prevalent negative and problem-saturated narratives and replacing them with stories that are more positive and center the person's abilities, hopes, values, and the like. So this can help the person break down that homonegativity that may be there, that feeling of a race or being bisexual, pansexual. And instead, focus on their hopes, their values, their dreams for their future, that community building and seeing that they're not alone. Using narrative therapy creates a way for bisexual. Plus and pansexual plus. I really don't know what I was thinking when I was typing this. Individuals who have experienced erasure to rewrite their story so that erasure does not take a prominent role in their life and instead focus on what is of value to them.

Do’s And Don’ts For Allies

SPEAKER_01 44:15

So my conclusion. So, first of all, be an ally. Um, do you educate yourself on bisexuality plus and pansexuality? If you plan to or find yourself working with individuals who identify as such for the whole queer community in general, but especially more marginalized identities, such as bisexuality, pansexuality, there is often the fear that they're gonna have to educate their providers about their sexuality. And a lot of clients don't want to do that. So if you're going to work with bisexual, pansexual individuals, or you find yourself working with one, please make sure to educate yourself and I'll have resources that can help you do so. Do acknowledge and validate the identities of bisexual and pansexual plus individuals. Do create a safe space for clients to open up about their sexual identity, such as having a pride flight displayed in your office or rainbow decal on your door or having queer-coded images on your website. I don't have a physical office, so my website is very queer-coded. There's queer individuals on there as couples in family situations, even in the pictures of myself. So trying to show that I am a safe space. Do celebrate and bring awareness to bisexual awareness week, which is September 16th, the 23rd every year, and International Pansexual and Pan-Romantic Disability Day, which is May 24th. So coming up. And do call out discrimination, injustices, and phobias against pansexual and bisexual plus individuals when it takes place. And continued ways to be an ally. Members of the queer community, especially members that are marginalized group within the group, such as bisexual plus and pansexual individuals, are often burdened with educating others about the sexuality. So again, use reputable resources to learn about it, such as the Trevor Project or PFLAG. Again, I'll have more in a minute. And it is important for therapists who work with the queer community to have the necessary competency to do so, such as attending CEU trainings, such as this one, reading books, reputable websites. Currently, there is no standard level of care competency needed to provide care to the queer community or any of the populations within it. Now, there are, depending on your language or type and what organizations you are a part of, there are suggestions of level of competency before working with the queer community. For example, I'm an LMFT double AMFT, just put out a guideline of suggestions of competency to working with the queer community either in the 2025 or beginning of this year. So definitely look at that depending on your licensure type and the organizations you're a part of. Although there are things that can increase competency, such as taking a cultural competency training or working with bisexual plus and pansexual individuals, or seeking out specific workings with both populations. So just the things that are out there that are beneficial. These are some of my favorite resources, not only for us as mental health therapists, but also for clients or science parents if you're working with adolescents or littles, bi.org, the bisexual resource center, and the bipan library, GLAD, human rights campaign, identicity is really good. It is basically set up like Quizlet. So you can click on things, and there's like matching games to match terminology to the phrase. There's videos of explanations. I think it's really informative and they do a great job of keeping it up to date. And then PFLAG, which is one of our most known ones, the Trevor Project, the Williams Institute is really good, especially if you're looking on facts and figures. And then the Youth Pride Association, YPA, is really good again, working with adolescents or littles, or their parents or guardians. And then I'm always a resource. I always say I'd rather you reach out to me to get some guidance, get pointed in the right direction, than accidentally do harm to anybody within the queer community, especially if you're working with bisexual plus or pansexual people or a BIPA individual. That is what I have.

SPEAKER_02 48:30

Jewis,

Supervision Tips And Training Pathways

SPEAKER_02 48:31

can you take just one or two minutes and talk to supervision? Because I I know you're talking with us in the fall. Um that won't be recorded. It's a different type of setting, but maybe just two, you know, because supervision, that's a whole other animal, right? I mean, you're not only creating a safe space for your supervisee, but you're teaching them to create a safe space for someone else. How would you just a few things for us supervisors?

SPEAKER_01 48:56

Yeah. So um I provide a lot of resources, just like you guys saw here, um, books that they can read, YouTube videos. I can also provide those to you guys. And honestly, I start with what do you know? What where's your comfort level? Because I have some supervisees who come in who are queer themselves a lot and are very engaged in the queer community. And I have some who come in who go, I think I know a queer person, I'm not sure. So just getting an understanding of where they're starting off with, becoming very comfortable with using the terminology and having a good understanding of it. I've had supervisees who blush or stumble, depending on how conservative they grew up. So really in supervision, encouraging to use the words, the terminology, some of the slang, especially if they find themselves in offices or agencies where they are going to be working with the queer community. And then also really working on cultural competency. So getting the trainings, not relying on just one resource to tell you how a certain population within the queer community acts. I go to lots of trainings that are cut on for queer and to work with queer individuals. And I'm queer myself and I give training, but I know I don't know everything. So I encourage them to go to different trainings. And oftentimes I will tell my supervisees, hey, I'm going to this training. If you want to go with me so you don't feel alone, let me know. So extending that umbrella.

SPEAKER_02 50:25

Maybe you could include that in the resources you give us too, because I I mean, if you're offering CEs, and you know, just because our supervisees don't have to have CEs, doesn't mean we can't make them get some CEs. So if you have those resources, I'd love it if you included those. Uh yeah. Participants.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

Definitely. And I'll also include it's out of Colorado, but it's called the Denver Family Institute, is actually has a queer university for providers who want to learn more about working with queer individuals. It's a great program. Again, slightly biased. I helped to create it and I do teach for it, but it's a great program. They give you so much information. And then they also do have ways to stay connected as alumnus of the program to continue to get more information. So I'll also include that. It's a great organization. And currently, if you still have a student email address, or if you can find somebody else who wants to do it with you, student email address, you can do it for free. Or if you can find somebody with you, it can be half off. Excellent. All right.

SPEAKER_02 51:27

Uh, Joyce, real quick, would you put your last slide up one more time just so that people can grab that QR code and your contact info? All right, everybody, grab it, take a picture of it. And this will go into your profile as soon as Joyce sends it to me. And if you are in the stepping up membership, you'll get this replay next month. So, Joyce, thank you for presenting for me again. Thank you so much. And uh, I can't wait to see your presentation in the fall. So if you guys are a supervisor, please, please look into grabbing tickets to that Texas Supervisor Coalition. Joyce is presenting last Monday in November. So we will see you then. Everybody have a wonderful evening. And thanks again for joining us. And we'll see you soon.

Closing Resources And Next Steps

SPEAKER_02 52:20

If this episode got you thinking seriously about supervision, your next step is the free new supervisor starter kit at KateWalkertraining.com/slash bonus. It covers what to have in place before your first supervisee arrives contracts, documentation, expectations, the foundation that makes everything else easier. And if you're ready to build this out fully, the supervisor training is at KateWalkertraining.com. Links are in the description. I'll see you next week. If you love today's episode, be sure to leave a five-star review. It helps other badass therapists find the show and build practices that thrive. Big thanks to Ridgley Walker for our original fun facts and podcast intro, and to Carl Dianella for editing this episode and making us sound amazing. See you next week.