Queering Your Therapy Practice

Julie Tilsen, PhD (she/her/hers), is a therapist, consultant, and trainer, and the author of Narrative Approaches to Youth Work and Therapeutic Conversations with Queer Youth. She is based in the USA.

• Introduction: Preparing a Path for the Unicorn 1. What is Queer Theory? 2. Unpacking Normative Discourses 3. Queer Theory and Narrative Therapy: Praxis Allies 4. Is That Unethical or Just Queer? An Ethical Stance for a Queered Practice 5. Queering Narratives, Honoring Lives 6. Sexual Healing: Sex-Critical Practice 7. Not Everyone Believes in Unicorns: Storying Queer Resistance to Rejection and Hate 8. Welcome to Queertopia Appendix

"This is an absolute must read! Dr. Tilsen’s engaging case stories and accessible writing translate the complexity and richness of queer theory into practice. This book offers therapists ethical and imaginative tools for their work with queer and transgender persons. Queering Your Therapy Practice is an incredibly timely and necessary text." – Dr. David Nylund, PhD, Professor of Social Work at California State University, Sacramento; Clinical Director, Gender Health Center "This book is one that is certain to change the way therapists at any stage in their career engage in clinical practice. Each chapter includes a case vignette (so detailed you feel as though you are in the therapy room) followed by an in-depth exploration of ways we can queer our practices. Queering Your Therapy Practice is a long overdue text that centers intersectional, ethical justice work in the practice of Narrative Therapy. I only wish I had this book when I was in grad school." – Dr. Kristen Benson, PhD, Associate Professor at Appalachian State University, Marriage and Family Therapy Program director; Director of Systemic Multicultural Counseling Certificate "This is the book I’ve been waiting for as a sex therapist and educator! Tilsen turns queer theory into an approachable friend who pulls you close right before saying something to disrupt your comfort. Her vivid storytelling of therapy dialogue brings to life the tensions and promise of queer practices. Practical applications set in motion a relational ethic that is sorely needed in how we train therapists and work with all clients." – Dr. Katie Heiden-Rootes, PhD, Associate Professor at Saint Louis University; Director of Clinical Services, Center for Counseling & Family Therapy