Creating a Safe Space – Good Practice for Mental Health Staff Working With Lesbians, Gay Men and Bisexuals

By Ryan, Deidre

***** Creating a Safe Space – Good Practice for Mental Health Staff working with Lesbians, Gay Men and Bisexuals Chris Gildersleeve and Hazel Platzer | Pavilion Publishing | 154pp | 50 | ISBN: 184196 111 6

This is a welcome training resource in a subject area with a paucity of research into working with the needs of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals with mental health problems.

Grounded firmly in the experience of two trainers, this ringbound resource provides a comprehensive training package to increase awareness, lessen prejudice and inform individual practice to meet the mental health needs of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.

The package is well presented throughout, with good use of exercises and a wide range of resources, including handouts, overheads, reading material and useful websites. This resource could be used and customised easily by trainers in mental health services for their particular requirements.

The introduction could have provided a more extensive explanation of why this resource is needed, perhaps based on some reflection from the trainers at PACE, the lesbian and gay mental health and HIV organisation. I would also recommend that the book list resource be updated.

Reviewed by Deidre Ryan, senior lecturer Sexual Health, Middlesex University and the Royal Free Hospital, London

Copyright RCN Publishing Company Ltd. Feb 1-Feb 7, 2006