Introduction
To honor LGBT Pride Month we asked Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) social workers to tell us why they chose social work as their profession and to describe the unique challenges facing their community.
Jonathan Lebolt, PhD, LCSW
Solo Private Practice
Richmond, Virginia
Dr. Lebolt
Q. Dr. Lebolt, where did you earn your social work degrees, what is your area of specialization, and where are you employed?
I earned my MSW at Hunter College, and my PhD in Clinical Social Work at The Union Institute. I specialize in providing individual, couples, and group psychotherapy in the areas of relationships with self and others; spiritual and cultural issues; finding one’s calling; and recovery from depression, anxiety, and addictive behaviors. I am in solo private practice in Richmond, VA.
Q. Why did you choose social work as your profession?
I went through a major depressive episode as a young adult, related in part to vilification by my junior high school peers as a “faggot.” The therapist who helped me was an MSW, and I decided I wanted to help others the way he helped me.
Q. If you could resolve just one ongoing challenge affecting the LGBT community what would that be and how would you go about it?
Most of the United States prevent LGBT people from having the same basic rights as heterosexual people, including the many benefits of marriage. We are used as a scapegoat for gaybashers’ rage and frustration, yet we lack protection from hate crimes. Many younger LGBT people, especially the transgendered, are kicked out of their homes by their parents when they discover their children’s sexual orientation/gender identity, and there are insufficient resources to assist these youth, including treatment for suicidal depression and safe housing. LGBT people are also excluded from the support that religion and community may provide.
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