Discussion: Counseling Same-Sex Couples

Consider the following scenario:

You are a helping professional providing counseling to a same-sex couple. The partners in that couple are parents to two children, ages 6 and 3.

Beyond this basic information, you are asked to speculate how additional details might influence this couple's experience of parenting.

Consider different possible aspects of their lives as parents, including how parenting may influence their couple relationship, what connections the family may have to other members of the local community, and how the parents might interact with and experience institutions related to their parenting experiences (e.g., schools, child care, health care providers, mental health professionals).

Select two pairs of demographic differences from the following list:

Urban/rural

Interracial/same race

One stay-at-home parent/dual career

Higher/lower socioeconomic status

Residency in a state where a legal union is possible/residency in a state where a legal union is not possible

Secular/religious

Consider how the same-sex couples' parenting experiences might differ between each side of the categories you selected.

Post by Day 4 the two categories of demographic differences that you selected. Explain how the couple's relationship and their parenting experiences might differ between each side of the categories you selected.

(For example, if you chose urban/rural as one of your categories, explain how the experiences would differ if the couple lived in an urban area or if they lived in a rural area.) Finally, explain how your counseling approach might differ based on the different experiences of the couple.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the resources.