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Notes:
Volume 9
Journal of Neurology and Neuroscience
ISSN: 2171-6625
Page 42
JOINT EVENT
July 23-24, 2018 Birmingham, UK
&
24
th
International Conference on
Neuroscience and Neurochemistry
26
th
Edition of International Conference on
Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience
Renegade children: Identity negotiations of three Christian lesbians from the American south
Lauren Quesenberry
and
Courtland C Lee
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, USA
This poster session focuses on a study of the identity formation of three specific lesbian/bisexual women who were raised in
the Southeast region of the United States characterized by a strong Christian fundamentalist/evangelical influence. Narrowing
in on the intersection between religion, sexual orientation, geographic region and/or culture (amidst a variety of other
factors having to do with the personal lives of these three participants), this poster will highlight therapeutic implications for
counselors and psychologists. Beginning with the basics of identity politics and theory, intersectionality is a concept coined
by Crenshaw (1989) to describe the way that issues like racism, sexism etc. seem to overlap and create multiple levels of social
injustices. Research findings suggest that each minority class a person possesses compounds and interacts, thereby increasing
threats of discrimination. This conceptualization of identity formation challenges the hierarchal nature of power within society
and provides the following implications for psychological practitioners: practitioner cultural competence is a dire necessity.
When working with persons who are participants in one or more minority classes, the following frameworks must be integral
to the counseling process: feminist theory, multicultural counseling theory, relational-cultural theory etc. (i.e. empowerment
modality used to dismantle the ways in which an individual has been silenced or blamed for his/her sexual orientation as
“choice,” etc.). Understand the dangers of prioritizing culture over other factors/identities (sexuality, SES, etc.) which may
reinstate powerlessness (i.e. lack of access to services, problems within that culture).
Recent Publications
1. Cass V C (1979) Homosexuality identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality 4(3):219-25.
2. Dahl A L and Galliher R V (2009) LGBQQ young adult experiences of religious and sexual identity integration.
Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling 3(2):92-112.
3. Szymanski D M (2005) Heterosexism and sexism as correlates of psychological distress in lesbians. Journal of
Counseling and Development 83(3):355-360.
4. Parker K (2013) The hell train: a journey from holy roller to feminist lesbian. In, Whitlock R U Queer south rising:
Voices of a contested place. ISBN: 9781623961695.
Biography
Lauren Quesenberry is a second-year student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington
DC. She obtained a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies Gender Studies from Loyola University Chicago in 2011 and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Minor in
Psychology from Gardner-Webb University in 2009. Her areas of professional and academic focus include women’s trauma/recovery and LGBTQ populations.
lquesenberry@ego.thechicagoschool.eduLauren Quesenberry et al., J Neurol Neurosci 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.21767/2171-6625-C2-012