Members of the Arizona Counselors Association (AzCA) have created a local branch of the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) to help meet the needs of and advocate for the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning intersex and ally community (LGBTQQIA).

The primary goals of the Arizona Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Counseling (AzALGBTIC) include the following:

• To promote awareness and knowledge about LGBTQQIA issues and advocate for clients and the community.
• To stay informed about and advocate for the counseling profession, LGBTQQIA issues in counseling, changes in oppressive systems and relevant legislation.
• To promote greater awareness and understanding of sexual minority issues among members of the counseling profession and related helping occupations.
• To develop, implement and foster interest in charitable, scientific and educational programs, and alliances designed to further the human growth and development of LGBTQQIA clients, allies and their communities.
• To protect from harm LGBTQQIA individuals by language, stereotypes, myths, misinformation, threats of expulsion from social and institutional structures and other entities, and from beliefs contrary to their identity.
• To provide educational programs and resources to raise the standard of practice for all counselors who serve LGBTQQIA clients, allies and communities.

Chad Mosher, executive director of AzCA, member of ALGBTIC and founding member of AzALGBTIC, says the idea for the group originated when several members of ALGBTIC who belonged to the AzCA felt there needed to be representation within that branch of ACA.

“The President of AzCA at that time approached me to discuss the focus of AzCA during his term as president, [which was] LGBTQQIA and social justice issues,” says Mosher, who is also a counselor educator and chair of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Phoenix in Tucson. “Another founding member of AzALGBTIC and I discussed the logistics of starting a chapter in Arizona with Pete Finnerty. Pete was chair of the State Branch Committee and was very supportive of our efforts to develop AzALGBTIC. At the 2012 ACA [Annual Conference] in San Francisco, [we] spoke with attendees from Arizona about the development of AzALGBTIC and the need for leadership in Arizona around LGBTQ issues. I announced the need for AzALGBTIC at the state conference in May 2012, with the full support of the Governing Board of AzCA. By June 1, we had about 15 interested people, held a meeting and supported Elizabeth Forsyth as president of AzALGBTIC. We have incredible support from the AzCA Governing Board and from leadership in ALGBTIC. We also have incredible support from AzCA members, members of the LGBTQQIA community in Tucson and Phoenix and have partnered with several LGBTQQIA organizations to promote our efforts within AzALGBTIC.”

Currently, the group has about 25 members.

Finnerty, who is president of ALGBTIC, says the group is thrilled by the creation of a new branch. “The formation of an ALGBTIC branch in Arizona shows that the counselors of the state believe in equality and a focus on their clients,” Finnerty says. “These counselors show us that even when discrimination is written into law by legislators, counselors will advocate for their clients and do what is in the best interest of those clients as outlined by the ACA Code of Ethics. On behalf of the ALGBTIC Board, we applaud the counselors who are organizing AzALGBTIC and we will support them in every way possible to serve LGBTQQIA clients equitably and strongly.”

Mosher says he is glad that the creation of AzALGBTIC has put something positive into the political and public policy climate of Arizona.

“Arizona is often in the news for its controversial immigration, reproductive rights, multicultural education, and health and human services laws, policies and practices,” Mosher says. “What is not broadcast are the incredible efforts of various LGBTQQIA community groups, such as the LGBTQ Behavioral Health Coalition of Southern Arizona or the LGBTQ Behavioral Health Consortium of the Phoenix Metro Area. These groups, with the assistance of state, district, county and local behavioral health systems, convened its first annual LGBTQ Behavioral Health Conference in Tucson. I am a member of the LGBTQ Behavioral Health Coalition and the Conference Planning Committee, and can proudly say that there was overwhelming support within the behavioral health agencies across the state to focus on LGBTQQIA competencies in public behavioral health. We have goals and ambitions of creating safe places in all the agencies across the state [and] of creating LGBTQQIA cultural competence liaisons within agencies [that] act as ambassadors to the larger coalitions and consortiums so that individuals receive high-quality, competency-based care. The climate for LGBTQQIA residents and counselors can always be better, and systems of oppression always need to be challenged. Arizona is no different. LGBTQQIA counselors have expressed a great desire to connect, unify and direct our efforts toward improving client care, toward educating the public and our colleagues about LGBTQQIA issues, and to challenge all systems of oppression. Community groups in Tucson and Phoenix have advocated for very supportive and LGBTQQIA-affirming environments. AzALGBTIC can help change the environment in Arizona by supporting community organizations.”

Forsyth, president of AzALGBTIC, agrees and says she is looking forward to all of the positive contributions the group will bring to Arizona.

“Arizona is a conservative state, but the climate for LGBTQQIA residents is actually mixed,” Forsyth says. “We have the majority of voters against LGBTQQIA rights, but there is definitely a strong LGBTQQIA community. The LGBTQQIA community is under-served in Arizona, and the opportunity for counselors to encompass this into their practice is vastly beneficial. From the population of counselors I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with, we are bound to have clients facing LGBTQQIA rights issues in every practice, regardless if advertised as LGBTQQIA -friendly or not. Promoting and understanding cultural competencies is vital to the success of therapy.”

Currently, there are 10 states in addition to Arizona that have their own branches of ALGBTIC:  Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

However, Mosher says, Arizona is the only state in the Western Region of ACA with an ALGBTIC chapter. He says it is imperative to get involved on a local level and start state chapters of ALGBTIC.

“For one, clinical services and community involvement can be foci of chapter members,” Mosher says. “Chapters can actively promote greater awareness and understanding LGBTQQIA issues among members of the counseling profession and related helping occupations. Second, members of state chapters can be supported as leaders in the counseling field as they work to improve standards and delivery of counseling services provided to LGBTQQIA clients and communities. This is a vital focus for the promotion of health and wellness within LGBTQQIA communities and for the promotion of the counseling field. State branches benefit from increased membership, and increased membership can support the delivery of quality services. Third, members of state branches need a safe place in which to explore the expansion of their LGBTQQIA competencies as set forth by ALGBTIC. ALGBTIC recently released a new set of competencies for LGBTQQIA individuals, and clinicians need a safe place to learn about, receive supervision and implement the competencies. State chapters of ALGBTIC can provide trainings for [their] members and can provide other important information from ALGBTIC. Finally, state branches can stay informed about LGBTQQIA issues within their state and become advocates. LGBTQQIA issues are in the news often, having different effects on LGBTQQIA communities. LGBTQQIA individuals experience all sorts of institutional and systemic barriers, sometimes blocking access to adequate services. ALGBTIC chapter members can provide needed information about LGBTQQIA issues to branch leaders. Everyone benefits from the exchange of information.”

Forsyth believes state branches of ALBGTIC help support and advocate for the LGBTQ community and allow counselors to be active within their own communities as well as across the country.  “This promotes cultural competencies as well as provides a much-needed service to the LGBTQ community,” she says.

Though AzALGBTIC is still a new chapter and the lone group of its kind in the Western Region, Forsyth is looking forward to growing in many ways in the upcoming year. “In the future, we hope to share ideas via conferences, workshops, networking and publications in order to advance our knowledge, skills and awareness of counseling LGBTQQIA individuals,” she says.

Mosher says he too has a lot of plans for AzALGBTIC’s future. “This year, AzALGBTIC would like to provide trainings on the new LGBTQQIA competencies to clinicians, educators and students within Arizona and our neighboring states,” he says. “We need members, donors and sponsors to help us achieve our goals. To promote our efforts, we would like to have a presence at the various ‘pride’ functions in each major city in Arizona and build collaborative relationships with key LGBTQQIA organizations and leaders.”

For more information, visit ALGBTIC’s website and AzCA’s website.

Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.