This book highlights the importance of bridging asexuality competency with queer affirmative care practices in helping professions. It provides a foundational background on asexuality to inform clinical practices. Queer affirmative care embraces and celebrates varying sexuality orientations and gender identities; however, asexuality, as a sexual orientation, is less commonly discussed and understood by affirming practitioners. Information provided in this book closes some gaps in knowledge for clinicians. The book guides the reader through the language in asexual experiences and identities, the unique coming out experiences of asexuals, asexual individuals and relationships, and best clinical practices for working with asexual individuals. 

The author presents current research on asexuality and qualitative data compiled independently by the author. This focus on research guides readers through voices, examples, and scenarios that amplify asexual experiences. One major finding that is presented in the book is the author’s formation of an asexuality coming out model that highlights uniquenesses in the coming out process that many asexuals experience. The author’s professional identity is in the field of marriage and family therapy, so special attention and awareness of couple and family contexts are considered throughout the book.  Among the topics covered in the book include:

• Asexuality: History, Background, and Contemporary Issues
• A Focus on Language and the Impact of Socially Constructed Messages
• Asexuality, Intimate Relationships, and Family
• Asexual Affirmative Care

Asexuality, Relationships, and Identity Formation: Best Practices for Affirmative Care provides a background on asexual identities to inform clinical practice. Individuals in clinical helping settings (e.g., couple and family therapy, social work, and counseling) will appreciate the approach presented in this book that considers clinical directions and case examples as a way to best embrace asexual affirmative care. Additionally, those who work professionally in any care setting with queer individuals will gain further information on this increasingly more visible sub-group of queer individuals. Finally, those who work in queer advocacy, policy, or education also may find the book useful for their work.

Valerie Q. Glass, PhD, is a professor of marriage and family therapy (MFT) at National University (USA), is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and an AAMFT approved supervisor. She played a key role in developing an LGBTQIA+ Couple and Family Specialization for MFT master’s students at National University. With nearly three decades of research on queer individuals, couples, and families, Dr. Glass has contributed significantly to shifts in discourse around family and identity in the social sciences. In addition to research, she maintains a clinical practice where she specializes in working with queer clients. Currently, Dr. Glass resides in South Carolina. 

Beyond her professional pursuits, Dr. Glass enjoys spending time with her young adult daughter, being part of nature, engaging in creative writing, and involving herself in the lives of as many dogs as possible – especially her own dachshund/lab mix named Luna.