New perspectives on group treatment with women of diverse sexual identities

Abstract

Therapists have begun offering support groups and therapy groups to women with diverse sexual identities. Several controversies have developed about the optimal structure and membership composition of these groups. The present article describes how the issues of bisexual women and lesbians have been integrated into several types of therapy groups. A therapy group containing relatively equal numbers of heterosexual and non heterosexual women is also described. The author concludes that therapists' willingness to establish clear group norms about acceptance of diversity, therapists 'own level of acceptance, and therapists' ability to focus on the similarities among these women's relationship experiences are key to the success of running groups serving women of diverse sexual identities.