No description available.

Counselors sometimes use counseling assessments with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) persons without understanding the experiences individuals have with those assessments. The American Counseling Association and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health identified that attention is needed with the practice of counseling assessments to ensure that helpful, ethical, and culturally sensitive services are available. The purpose of this study was to explore TGNC adults' experiences with counseling assessments. Gadamer's hermeneutics provided a framework to examine qualitative data as truth and validate the individuals' experiences with counseling assessments. Participants included 12 TGNC persons 18 years or older who had a counseling assessment provided by a mental health professional. Data were collected from questionnaires, a focus group, and individual interviews. Results from coding analysis revealed 6 themes: motivation, positive outcomes, barriers to participation, mental health professional, cultural sensitivity, and impact. Findings validated TGNC participants' experiences with counseling assessments and may be used to improve counseling assessment practices for TGNC persons.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people experience innumerable health disparities that impact their physical, social, mental, and emotional health. Health disparities lead to increased rates of suicide, employment loss due to gender identity, poverty, and social isolation. The factors causing health disparities in the TGNC community are thought to be stigma; lack of health providers knowledgeable about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and other marginalized gender- and sexual-identifying people’s health; and occupational barriers. The Gender-Affirming Occupational Therapy program was constructed to educate and train occupational therapists and health providers to deliver inclusive and affirming services. It is based on the principles of three foundational theories—health stigma and discrimination framework, social learning theory, and diffusion of innovation—and informed by best practices in health care provider education and stigma mitigation. This 14-hour educational program includes guest panel speakers, group discussions, lectures, and clinical simulations. Although the Gender-Affirming Occupational Therapy program reflects the learning needs of occupational therapists and health professionals, the needs of the TGNC community were the central topics and focus areas chosen for this educational program. This doctoral project includes program evaluation, funding, and a dissemination plan.

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people who pursue gender affirming medical interventions, such as hormone therapy and surgery, are required to supply their physicians with referral letters from mental health professionals (Coleman et al., 2012). The process by which TGNC people are required to obtain referral letters before accessing gender affirming care is often referred to as gatekeeping in the TGNC literature (Budge, 2015; Cavanaugh, Hopwood, & Lambert, 2016). Despite implications that the current gatekeeping system may have for the relationship between TGNC clients and their therapists, few studies have examined TGNC individuals’ experiences related to obtaining referral letters in therapy (Bess & Stabb, 2009; Elder, 2016). This study used semi-structured interviews and a grounded theory approach to qualitatively examine the experiences of 15 TGNC individuals who have obtained a referral letter for gender affirming medical intervention from their therapists. Thematic analysis revealed two core themes: (1) “blessings” that TGNC individuals experienced because of the referral letter requirement and (2) “bullsh*t” (or “BS”) participants endured due to this requirement. Implications for psychotherapy practice and training, as well as healthcare policy, are discussed.

<p dir="ltr">The need for affirming relational therapy is important for clients who identify as transgender and gender nonconforming - particularly during the process of their transition. Because of the conceptual overlap between the two approaches, the Satir Model of experiential therapy can be effectively applied to existing frameworks for affirming couple therapy. The study reflects the efficacy of this proposed model of therapy through a phenomenological case study. The results, their implications, and the application of the model are discussed.</p>

This study examined the hindering and helpful events that transgender and gender-nonconforming Ontarians experienced in therapy. To explore descriptive accounts of these experiences, we employed a systematic and rigorous investigation using the significant events framework and thematic analysis to interpret findings. Eleven participants underwent semi-structured interviews, providing rich accounts of their recent therapy experiences alongside their contexts and impacts. From these interview transcripts, we constructed eight major themes relevant to the research question: (1) Helpful and Hindering Relational Gestures; (2) Expectations about the Therapist’s Role; (3) Therapist’s Perception of Transness; (4) Topics in Therapy; (5) Significant Relational-Emotional Experiences; (6) Significant Event Impacts on the Client; (7) Client Processes in Understanding Significant Therapy Events; and (8) Contexts. Implications for therapeutic work are discussed.