Brief Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy Following a Child's Coming Out: A Case Report

Few interventions have been proposed for the treatment of families following a child's disclosure of nonheterosexuality. To address this gap in the literature, the current paper outlines a brief cognitive behavioral family treatment (CBFT) for families negotiating the coming-out process and illustrates this approach with a case example. Parents' attributions, beliefs, and expectations are explored and challenged. The family is exposed to increasingly salient topics and directed to increase the frequency of positive family experiences. Lastly, the family is taught specific listening and problem-solving skills to bolster adaptive family communication. This paper is among the first to apply an empirically supported therapeutic framework to support family adjustment following a child's disclosure of sexual orientation. The potential usefulness and limitations of this CBFT application are discussed.