Narrative Practices & Queer Counseling

Narrative Practices & Queer Counseling offers eight lessons exploring strength-based narrative therapy in working with clients identified as LGBTQ+, their allies, and families. Issues include heterosexism and its discontents, privileging voices from the margins, navigating non-traditional relationships, intersexuality, and narrative approaches in the treatment of trauma. The course features topical readings, instructional videos, dyadic exercises, interactive padlets, and two full clinical sessions, one with an individual and the other with a couple. For an additional $40, registrants can earn 16 APA-approved CE credits through Alliant International University. For course objectives, see below.

Charley Lang has practiced as a narrative therapist for the past 25+ years and is co-founder of Narrative Counseling Center in Los Angeles, working with a wide diversity of clients, including many queer-identified individuals, couples, families, and their allies. An actor in his previous life (The West Wing, ER, Star Trek: The Next Generation, NYPD Blue, among others…), Charley has produced and directed three award-winning documentary films. He is director of the Psychology Concentration at Antioch University Los Angeles where he teaches numerous psychology courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level. This offering, Queer Counseling and Narrative Practice, is an online version of one of his most popular courses at Antioch.

This lesson begins with Charley briefly introducing the course and himself, as well as the values guiding a narrative approach to therapeutic conversations. We share the newest feature, “Padlets,” which allows you to contribute your voice to the course.

 Lesson 2 highlights the importance of language in identity development through the articles Where the Bastard Lies, Up the Steep Side of the Queer Learning Curve, Resisting Normativity, and the exercise Exploring Hereosexism.

The practice of identifying and evaluating oppressive cultural discourses underlies each of the offerings in this lesson. Discourses of masculinity and gender identity are unpacked in the short video on the film Moonlight and Moneira’s story, A Woman of Culture. Jake challenges a dominant, powerful discourse in Narrative Approaches in the Treatment of Trauma. Lesson 4 ends with an exercise inviting you to identify and evaluate a challenging discourse in your own life.

This lesson highlights voices from the margins and features the uniquely inspiring Alok, a gender non-conforming performance artist speaking truth to power, sexuality and gender identity. ‘Queer Lives and Spiritual Leanings’ addresses the oppressive effects of many religious beliefs on LGBTQ-identified individuals, along with alternative paths to spiritual re-connection. ’She-Male Rising’ and ’The Physics of Forbidden Love’ take us further into the unique experiences of folks navigating voices from the margins.

Lesson 6 unpacks race and its effects on our non-white colleagues and clients, opens a window onto the intersex experience, engages support for conflicted parents, and celebrates a creative teen’s gender affirmation.

 Lesson 7 presents a structure for beginning work with couples, followed by a live collaborative couple session and an insight into group work from a narrative perspective. The podcast that ends this lesson highlights community solidarity in the face of calamity.

Lesson 8 celebrates our inherent resourcefulness beginning with the award-winning short documentary film, Live To Tell: The First Gay and Lesbian Prom in America, followed by an exercise (collaborative or solo) honoring queer preferences. We will see you in the reflection at the end of this lesson!