Cultural Competency and LGB Affirming Practice in School Social Workers/Counselors
Abstract
LGB youth often consider school to be unsafe and experience school professionals as ill equipped to support them. The study purpose was to examine cultural competencies and affirmative practice of school professionals. N = 313 school counselors/social workers completed Sexual Orientation Cultural Competency, Queer Youth Cultural Competency, and Gay Affirmative Practice scales. Multiple regression analysis found that higher levels of overall cultural competence and cultural competency skills, but not greater knowledge or positive attitudes, predicted higher levels of LGB-affirming practice. These findings point to a need for training focused on increasing affirmative practice through cultural competence skill building and in-vivo experience.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Counseling Practices and Supervision
Education Discipline and Inequality
Cultural Competency in Health Care
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 104–121
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026
- Language
- EN