Affirmative psychological services for LGTBIQA+ persons in Ecuador: Changes in psychological distress

Abstract

Background: Although in the Anglo-Saxon world Affirmative Therapy has a long history with strong empirical support, in Ibero-America its development is recent. Objetive: To analyze the Practice-Based Evidence of a network of affirmative psychology services for LGTBIQA+ persons in Ecuador. Methods: This is a naturalistic study analyzing Practice-Based Evidence generated using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure as a routine evaluation tool to monitor the outcomes of 101 clients who received Affirmative Therapy between 2018 and 2020 in a network of affirmative psychology services for LGTBIQA+ people. Statistically significant change and reliable, clinically meaningful change were assessed. Results: Participants were on average 27.14 years old. The median number of sessions was six. There were statistically significant changes for those who completed the questionnaire at least twice. A large effect size was found for the total score and all dimensions except for Risk. Sixty-eigth percent participants showed improvement. Conclusions: The results suggest that Affirmative Therapy minimizes the risk brought on by minority stress. Students, therapists, and clients are encouraged to learn, adopt, and use Affirmative Therapy, respectively.