Think "Will and Grace Go to the Movies and you've got "Gay Cinematherapy, a film guide that understands what gay men and their best friends have known for years: that the Oscars isn't just an awards show but the Gay Super Bowl, and that movies are more than entertainment, that they're a form of therapy that can help you cope with everything from a coming-out crisis to the home-alone-homo blues. Beverly West, coauthor of the "Cinematherapy series, a cultural phenomenon with over 240,000 copies in print and coverage everywhere from CNN to the "Today Show to "Entertainment Weekly to "Vogue, has teamed up with her best friend and roommate, Jason Bergund, to help gay men find the comfort, inspiration, humor, and inner beauty tips they need-all without looking any further than the neighborhood video store. Drawing on gaythemed and mainstream movies from the past and present, and with an extra helping of anything starring Judy, Bette, Bette, Joan, and Madonna, "Gay Cinematherapy is the perfect addition to every gay guy's shelf.

Movies are more than entertainment... They’re couples therapy! If you’ve ever wondered how to meet Mr. Right, boot Mr. Wrong, inspire Mr. Reluctant to propose, or ignite youthful passion in a middle-aged romance, then we’ve got some good news for you. The help you need is no farther away than your remote control. Sink into your sofa and discover the healing power of movies. From the bestselling duo who brought you Cinematherapy, Advanced Cinematherapy, and Bibliotherapy comes Cinematherapy for Lovers, a video guide guaranteed to help you find the perfect movie prescription to cure all your relationship woes. Trouble in your couple’s paradise? Watch a Rediscovering Your Dream movie like Pollock and rise above. Looking for the key to your guy’s psyche? Crack the code with an Understanding Your Man movie like Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and unlock the secrets of your own international man of mystery! Ready to hear those magic words but your summer lover is terminally tongue-tied? Loosen his lips with a Hook, Line, and Sinker movie like All That Heaven Allows, then find the shortcut to his heart through his stomach with Bev’s Culinarytherapy recipe for meat loaf and mashed potatoes just like Mom used to make, and seal the deal. Feeling like a solo singer in a world full of duets? Discover a new happily-ever-after with a Make Your Own Music movie like Ghost World. Jam-packed with over 150 new reviews of classic and contemporary movies--and warnings about Happily Never After love stories that are recipes for relationship disasters--Cinematherapy for Lovers gives you the tools you’ll need to become your own couple’s cinematherapist. PLUS: Nancy’s Momentous Minutiae, Best Bodice-Ripping Lines, I Do I Do and Elvis Too, Always a Bridesmaid Never a Bride movies, Bods We Don’t Buy, the Shirley MacLaine Trilogy of Terror, Bev’s Culinarytherapy, and much, much more... From the Trade Paperback edition.

Has your karma run over your dogma? Are you feeling anxious about the future, or wondering who turned down the dimmer switch on your inner light? The illumination you need is right at your fingertips. Settle into the lotus position, pick up your remote control, and let movies be your spiritual guide on your journey toward personal nirvana. From the bestselling duo who brought you Cinematherapy, Advanced Cinematherapy, Cinematherapy for Lovers, and Bibliotherapy comes CINEMATHERAPY FOR THE SOUL, a video guide guaranteed to help you become your own guru. With 150 new reviews of classic and contemporary movies and thoughtful quotes to uplift you, CINEMATHERAPY FOR THE SOUL is guaranteed to help you discover that the movies will reinvigorate your tired spirit and help you find inspiration, one movie at a time. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Cinema both reflects life and contours life—that is its psychological power. And for decades, clinicians and educators have recognized the value of this power, using it to respectively heal in therapy and educate in the classroom. The Cinematic Mirror for Psychology and Life Coaching mines the illustrative value of cinema, offering therapists and life coaches access to ideas that can motivate and enlighten clients. Although many movie guides exist, this volume complements the available literature by adding positive psychology, mental health, and wellness perspectives to the clinical/educational/coaching mix. The serious intent to cull from cinema its underlying psychological value has motivated noted clinicians, life coaches, and cultural critics to offer science-based analysis and intervention strategies. Readers may add their own movie insights and professional expertise to this rich foundation. The volume covers international as well as domestic cinema in a variety of genres, providing a range of film choices relevant to clients’ lives. Beyond this, it expands on universal concepts of strengths, capabilities, and coping methods. Chapters in The Cinematic Mirror: analyze how movies can create and relieve trauma, challenge Hollywood’s portrayal of the American family, overview the use of movies to examine relationships in therapy, explore the acclaimed Up television cinema verite series as studies in personal growth and social change, reinterprets images of disability in terms of positive psychology, examines models, or the lack thereof, for the American adolescent rite of passage, traces the history of mental illness stereotypes in film. The collective wisdom found in The Cinematic Mirror for Psychology and Life Coaching will bring professionals involved in healing, coaching, counseling, education, and mentoring not only new applications but new appreciation for the transformative power of film. That power already exists. Readers just have to "SEE" it.

Who are the most significant gay icons and how did they develop? What influence do they have on gay individuals and communities? This book focuses on the superstars, femmes fatales and divas of the gay celebrity pantheon--Mae West, Julie Andrews, Britney Spears, RuPaul, Cher, Divine, Sharon Needles and many others--and their contributions to gay culture and the complications of sexual and gender identity. The author explores their allure along with the mechanisms of iconicity.

MOVIES ARE MORE THAN ENTERTAINMENT–THEY’RE A BUBBLE BATH FOR THE SOUL. On the verge of yet another major life change? Recovering from a rough day at the office? Or trying to figure out what makes him tick? Take heart–no matter what your issue, the help you need is no farther away than your VCR. From the dynamic duo who brought you the bestselling Cinematherapy comes Advanced Cinematherapy, a video guide that prescribes the perfect movie to cure whatever ails you. Whether you’re in the midst of a midlife crisis and need to join the parade and march to your own drummer (Hello, Dolly!), or vacillating between gullible and hyperparanoid and need to listen to your instincts (Sudden Fear), in Advanced Cinematherapy you’ll find movies that will help you laugh at your troubles or confront your issues, and inspire you to grow. Struggling with growing pains? Watch a Coming of Age and Coming Out movie like But I’m a Cheerleader and celebrate your true colors. Ready to cry a river? Immerse yourself in a Cathartic Weeper like Penny Serenade and let it all out. Face-to-face with a nuclear family meltdown? Pop in a Dysfunctional Family movie like Addams Family Values and laugh at your own kooky clan. Here are dozens of new reviews of classic and contemporary movies that confront women’s issues and nurture women’s souls. Feed your wildest fantasies, claim your power, and overcome your losses, all by taking charge of your own remote control! AND DON’T MISS: Bev’s Culinarytherapy: Foods for Every Mood, Nancy’s Momentous Minutiae, Diva Diamonds, Hoopskirt Dreams, the Handy Hunk Chart, and much, much more.... From the Trade Paperback edition.

Featuring over seventy affirming interventions in the form of homework assignments, handouts, and activities, this comprehensive volume helps novice and experienced counselors support LGBTQ+ community members and their allies. Each chapter includes an objective, indications and contraindications, a case study, suggestions for follow-up, professional resources, and references. The book’s social justice perspective encourages counselors to hone their skills in creating change in their communities while helping their clients learn effective coping strategies in the face of stress, bullying, microaggressions, and other life challenges. The volume also contains a large section on training groups of allies and promoting greater cohesion within LGBTQ+ communities. Counseling and mental health services for LGBTQ+ clients require between-session activities that are clinically focused, evidence-based, and specifically designed for one or more LGBTQ+ sub-populations. This handbook gathers together the best of such LGBTQ+ clinically focused material. As such, the book appeals both to students learning affirmative LGBTQ+ psychotherapy/counseling and to experienced practitioners. The Handbook features homework assignments, handouts, and activities that: -Emphasize working with clients from different backgrounds. -Stress the importance of ethical guidelines and culturally competent care. -Demonstrate how to engage clients in conversations about coming out across the lifespan. -Help clients manage oppression and build resilience through self-care, advocacy, and validation. -Identify the facets of relationships that are unique to LGBTQ+ individuals. -Offer interventions to enhance familial support and work through family dynamics. -Assist clients to more deeply appreciate their genders and sexual identities. -Aid therapists in their work with clients who have substance use and abuse issues. -Address concerns about career choices, employment options, and college pursuits. -Create safety in a range of social and clinical spaces, including college campuses. Offering practical tools used by clinicians worldwide, the volume is particularly useful for courses in clinical and community counseling, social work, and psychology. Those new to working with LGBTQ+ clients will appreciate the book’s accessible foundation to guide interventions.

Most therapy is set up in a heterosexist context. Explore the issues facing your gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients--and how to deal with them!The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients offers therapists treating lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients innovative, practical interventions plus homework and hands-on activities tailored to these populations. Use the notebook to explore the issues surrounding coming out, homophobia in the workplace, spirituality, identity formation, and issues that require a non-heterosexist approach, such as domestic violence and relationship concerns. Grounded in current theory, each chapter explains the rationale for the activity it proposes, includes contraindications, and provides a list of helpful resources for therapists and clients.Here are just a few of the issues this extraordinary book explores in its four thoughtfully planned sections:Section I: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Coming Out and Managing Homophobia and Heterosexism addresses: conflicts in self-perceptions obstacles to the growth of a healthy GLB identity dealing with the trauma and anxiety that result from discrimination using semi-hypnotic visualization to treat internalized homophobia helping bisexuals decide whether to come out or to “pass” coping with internalized homophobic messages dealing with heterosexism in the workplace or at school Section II: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Relationship Issues will help you and your clients understand and work on issues involving: choosing the right partner intimacy and gender roles financial stability assimilation, queer pride, and everything in between how ethnicity and coupling impact sexual identity negotiating a healthy open relationship sexual concerns, sexual dysfunction, and pleasuring sexual role values for bisexual and lesbian womenSection III: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Gender, Ethnic, and Sexual Identity Issues addresses “who am I” issues: sexual orientation and gender identity the intersection of sexual and ethnic identity oppression on multiple fronts gender exploration for lesbiansSection IV: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Specific Issues tackles concepts including: enhancing resilience through spirituality reconciling with religion spiritual wellness and the spiritual autobiography body image disturbances unwanted sexual behavior creating a safety plan in case of same-sex domestic violence alienation and finding a caring community medication adherence for HIV+ clients the difficulties faced by coupled lesbians with children family care planning addiction and recovery healing from the wounds of homophobia relationships with ex-partners managing workplace stressIf you're new to treating lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients you’ll find rich material, based in current literature, to guide your work. If you've already worked extensively with LGBT clients, the activities and fresh, innovative strategies in The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients will expand and invigorate your skills.

Hip, hilarious, and irreverent, and in full awareness of the healing powers of film, this fantastic guide recommends a movie to suit and soothe a woman's every possible mood.

Since 1977, the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival has been at the forefront of lesbian and gay film culture. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE draws on the expertise and resources of this festival?the largest lesbian and gay media arts event in the world. With more than 2000 catalog entries, complemented with extensive film stills, short essays and reflections on the most important gay and lesbian films ever made, a distributor and subject index, a chapter on how to organize your own film/video festival, a directory of international gay & lesbian film festivals, a bibliography, and a filmmaker?s Top Ten Survey (did you know that John Water?s favorite film is The Wizard of Oz?), THE ULTIMATE GUIDE is ensured placement as the authoritative text on international lesbian and gay cinema.