Abstract
The purpose of this research was to identify therapeutic practices that effectively assist sexual minority clients to reach sexual identity formation milestones. This qualitative content analysis study explores therapist perspectives on efficacious sexual identity focused therapeutic practices. A snowball sampling method was employed to recruit 10 therapists experienced in providing sexual identity-focused therapies to sexual minority clients. Themes emergent from these interviews included the following: non-EBPs that privilege client meaning and cognitions-focused EBPs are especially efficacious in sexual identity-focused therapies, adaptations to EBPs and non-EBPs in sexual identity-focused therapies will explore how life contexts impact the client’s sexual identity formation and will emphasize client language, client in the expert role, and acceptance/validation, and coming out in all contexts is not to be an assumed end goal in sexual identity-focused therapies. Implications for social work practice and policy are also discussed.