Group psychotherapy with the aging gay male: Treatment of choice

This article summarizes many issues facing gay men as they age. Aging for gay men is a complex phenomenon involving identity, self-esteem, internalized homophobia, stereotypes about older gay men, and the paucity of positive gay male images or role models to help direct their development in this article, I will attempt to illuminate some of the complex variables of aging, as well as illustrate through case examples that group psychotherapy Is a particularly helpful forum for skills development for middle age and older gay men. The themes covered include: 1) commitment struggles-especially anxiety management and conflict resolution, 2) self-esteem regulation, 3) projections and internalizations, 4) capacity for intimacy, and 5) unresolved grief and loss due to the impact of AIDS: Alone vs. Lonely.