LGBT trauma in turkey and psychological consequences of working/volunteering with LGBT trauma

Around the world, LGBT populations are under the risk of having traumatic experiences. LGBT individuals could and do experience physical or sexual assaults, same-sex domestic violence, or bullying. Sometimes psychological/ psychiatric/legal interventions could be traumatic instead of alleviating. In Turkey, albeit being LGBT is not illegal or prohibited, being LGBT makes people vulnerable to exclusion, stigma, isolation, abuse or insult. LGBT organizations have a peculiar importance in this context. In Turkey, LGBT organizations in different geographical locations have different target groups with slightly different political perspectives. These organizations have wide variety of functions, such as creating public visibility, providing role models for young LGBTs, educating and supporting families, offering legal counseling, providing social, emotional and economical support and creating a peer group. Majority of these organizations are working on a volunteer basis. Unfortunately, not only hectic workload and diversity of duties but also continuously witnessing survivors and sometimes non-survivors of trauma could be exhausting for volunteers. Because of this reason, it is essential for LGBT organization members/volunteers to understand the concept of trauma, be familiar with the types of it and be informed about different ways of intervening and coping with it while supporting the traumatized member.