The needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth carry important implications for helping professionals in schools. In a study conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (2011) in the United States, researchers discovered that LGBTQ high school students experience much more frequent instances of harassment and violence than their non-LGBTQ peers, and that these higher levels of victimization result in these students feeling unsafe, isolated, and experiencing depression and low self-esteem (Koziw et al., 2011). Moreover, LGBTQ youth are two to seven times more likely to attempt suicide than non-LGBTQ youth, with risk factors like isolation, lack of hope, and negative coping skills contributing to increased ideation and attempts (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2008). Similar results have been found in studies conducted in Canada, Great Britain, and numerous countries worldwide, indicating the suicidality within the LGBTQ youth community is an international concern. Notably, group counseling is an effective approach in: (a) increasing hopefulness for the future and general positive expectancy (McCay et al., 2007); (b) teaching positive coping strategies (Meaney-Tavares & Hasking, 2013); and (c) reducing suicidal ideation and proneness (Pistorello et al., 2012).

The investigation tested the hypothesis that the structured group counseling intervention would promote higher hopefulness and positive coping skills scores in the LGBTQ older adolescent participants, while reducing participants’ negative coping skills and suicidal ideation scores. In addition, the correlation between the LGBTQ adolescent participants’ presence of group therapeutic factors scores to their levels of hope, coping, and suicidality was investigated. Furthermore, the investigation examined the relationship between LGBTQ adolescents’ hope, coping, and suicidality scores, and the impact of participant demographic variable on outcome scores.

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