Macro-level Advocacy for Mental Health Professionals: Promoting Social Justice for LGBTQ+ Survivors of Interpersonal Violence

Abstract

Violence, threats of violence, and fear of violence, in its many forms—self-directed, interpersonal, and collective, is an everyday reality of life for LGBTQ+ people. For LGBTQ+ victim/survivors of interpersonal violence, a focus on individual-level mental health intervention ignores the sociopolitical context that contributes to perpetuating such violence. This chapter aims to help mental health practitioners incorporate a critical response, focused on macro-level intervention, into their practice to challenge and change the oppressive, discriminatory, and disempowering systems, structures, and attitudes that contribute to violence in the lives of LGBQT+ people. The chapter explains how to engage in social justice cause advocacy as an activist/ally activist using a six-part critical response strategy: get educated, get empowered, get connected, be a connector and initiator for change, get political, and take action.