Abstract
The majority of students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) feel ostracized in their community and experience a hostile school climate, which in turn negatively impacts their future outcomes. The purpose of this project is to provide school psychologists, school counselors, administrators, and teachers with current research and resources useful in empowering staff to work with LGBTQ students and help build resiliency in these students. This purpose of this project is two-fold. Firstly, this project encompasses a handout that outlines an in-service training for staff that provides information about LGBTQ students including: background factors, identifying students at risk for suicide and depression, how to support this population, and how to use restorative practices in the classroom. Those who attend the in-service professional training are expected to gain insight on how to refer students to the group counseling curriculum and how they can obtain more resources to work more effectively with the LGBTQ population. Secondly, there is a group counseling curriculum that will teach LGBTQ students coping skills, understand their strengths, how to use a restorative approach when attempting to problem-solve, and develop resiliency. When the restorative approach is used to solve conflicts and problem-solve, it is expected that the school climate will become more cohesive and positive. The prepared project is an in-service training and group curriculum designed for school psychologists and school counselors to implement. The in-service training is meant as professional development for other school staff including administrators and teachers. Materials are provided as a support to the in-service training and group curriculum.