gays and lesbians would prefer a counselor with the same sexual orientation.

A study by Raytek (1996) revealed that both gays and lesbians would prefer a counselor with the same sexual orientation. However, a survey of 36 New York treatment agencies found few or no gay staff members. Affirmative action policies do not cover gay men and lesbians. Therefore, few gay and lesbians clients were able to work with gay or lesbian counselors.

Shame and fear of rejection by counselors also causes reluctance among gays and lesbians to seek treatment. (Finnegan & Cook, 1984) Lesbians deal with not only fears of rejection due to their homosexuality, but also with other gender-biased negative attitudes. Finally, a lack of understanding and acceptance of the gay alcoholic's chosen family leads to a reluctance to seek treatment. Gay men and lesbians are likely to have primary relationships which do not conform to the societal definition of a nuclear family system. As gays and lesbians may be rejected by their families of origin due to their sexuality, friendship networks and other alternative support systems are of prime importance. Failure to disclose one's sexual orientation due to fear of rejection may result in this important social support being hidden or ignored. Family week, a key component of most drug and alcohol treatment programs, may serve only to increase feelings of isolation and alienation.