Understanding competence: queer and trans affirmative counselling in Canada

Despite human rights protections and growing social acceptance, discrimination against queer and trans people persists in Canada. Without guidance from Canadian counselling associations and governing bodies regarding competent and affirmative counselling practice with queer and trans clients, counsellors may inadvertently perpetuate discrimination in counselling interactions. This study utilized a constructivist grounded theory method to answer the following research questions: 1. How do queer and trans persons receiving counselling services in Canada, perceive affirming (helping) or non-affirming (hindering) experiences in counselling?; and 2. How closely do these perceptions align with current guidelines and research on queer and trans affirmative counselling practice? Through an iterative analysis process, the counselling experiences of a diverse sample of ten participants resulted in findings that stand as valuable exemplars for competent and affirmative practice. These findings can contribute to the development of client-informed professional practice guidelines.