Implementing the APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People: A Call to Action to the Field of Psychology (original) (raw)
Related papers
Counseling Transgendered, Transsexual, and Gender-Variant Clients
Journal of Counseling & Development, 2002
espite the recent focus on multiculturalism and diversity within the counseling field, the transgender population has been given insufficient attention in research and in counselor training. Although gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues are beginning to receive much needed attention in multicultural texts and professional journals (e.g., the 1998 special issue in The Counseling Psychologist, the recent publication by the American Psychological Association titled Handbook of Counseling and Psychotherapy With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients, by Perez, DeBord, & Bieschke, 2000), discussion of transgender issues is rare in such publications. For the most part, mental health practitioners' views about transsexuals, transvestites or cross-dressers, and others with transgender status have "not been informed by objective empirical research" (Fox, 1996, p. 31). Consequently, counselors are ill-prepared to meet the needs of such clients. The purpose of this article is to inform counselor educators, counselors, and supervisors about the salient clinical issues that arise when working with transgendered clients. Specifically, the following areas are addressed: (a) the emerging and evolving definition of the transgender community, (b) the politicization of the transgender movement, (c) clinical issues and interventions for use with transgendered clients, and (d) the presentation of an actual case that details the progression of personal therapy with a transgendered client. EVOLVING DEFINITIONS The term transgender was coined in the late 1980s by men who did not find the label transvestite adequate enough to describe their desire to live as women (Prosser, 1997). Alternately, the term transsexual was deemed inappropriate because many nontraditionally gender-identified persons did not necessarily want to reconfigure their bodies surgically and hormonally and did not share the desire to "pass," or to fit into normative gender categories of male and female. Included in the full spectrum of people with nontraditional gender identities are pre-and postoperative transsexuals, cross-dressers or transvestites, intersex persons, and those who are disinterested in passing. Among the many terms used interchangeably to describe this community are transgendered persons, gender-variant persons, and trans persons. For consistency in this article, we use transgendered persons and its variations. Today, the continued proliferation of identifying terms within the transgender community, including gender-bender, gender outlaws, gender trash, gender queer, transsexual lesbian, and so forth, reflects the diversity within this community as well as the ongoing struggle for self-definition. Novelist Leslie Feinberg (1998), who is transgendered and an activist for this community, observed that "our lives are proof that sex and gender are much more complex than a delivery room doctor's glance at genitals can determine, more variegated than pink or blue birth caps" (p. 5).
Affirming psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people of color
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2016
In this article, the authors discuss the unique considerations that psychologists may keep in mind when working with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) clients of color. These considerations are informed by the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Clients (American Psychological Association, 2015). The major components of TGNC-affirmative psychological practice with TGNC people of color are described, including (a) interrogating psychologist race/ethnicity and gender identity, (b) addressing the intersectionality of race/ethnicity and gender identity, (c) challenging assumptions about TGNC experiences and the experiences of people of color, (d) building rapport and acknowledging differences within the therapeutic dyad, (e) assessing client strengths and resilience in navigating multiple oppressions, and (f) providing a variety of resources that are affirming to TGNC people of color. A case vignette is provided that explores these components and brings them to life.
Innovations in Research With Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People and Their Communities
Psychological research with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people is a relatively new field with great promise to advance our understanding of this population's needs and develop, implement, and evaluate corresponding interventions to reduce their health disparities and promote psychosocial adjustment, mental health, and well-being. After a brief review of the history of research with TGNC people, this article discusses several issues to ensure that research with this population is culturally competent and meaningful. This includes issues to consider for participant recruitment, data collection, working with institutional review boards, and distribution of research findings. We conclude with a discussion of gaps in the literature and corresponding opportunities for future psychological research with TGNC people.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Individuals who identify as transgender and gender diverse (TGD) are presenting at mental health clinicians' offices with increasing frequency. Many TGD clients are seeking care related to affirming their gender identity but also may present with anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, or other problems forwhich a clinician may commonly provide services. Some clinicians may hesitate to accept TGD clients into their practice if they have little specialized training to work with this population in an affirming manner, especially in more underserved areas where a generalist practice is the norm. Numerous professional associations and experts have developed guidelines for affirmative behavioral health care for TGD people. However, what is needed are community-informed recommendations to bridge from the official guidelines to clinicians' insession activities. The Trans Collaborations Practice Adaptations for Psychological Interventions for Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults are derived from iterative interviews with TGD community members and affirming mental health clinicians in the Central United States. The 12 practice adaptations are intended to guide clinicians to adapt their usual treatment approach to be TGD affirming, especially in underserved and rural areas. The practice adaptations cover numerous aspects of practice including the office setting and paperwork, understanding gender identity and incorporating it into the case conceptualization, therapist's selfawareness, and referrals. The Trans Collaborations Practice Adaptations will help clinicians work confidently and competently with adult TGD clients, regardless of the presenting problem, to ensure TGD communities receive the best interventions for their behavioral health concerns. Public Significance Statement This paper provides several recommendations for mental health clinicians to adapt their therapeutic approach for affirming services with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adult clients. The adaptations are accompanied by practical guidance for clinicians about how to work with TGD clients in the therapy room. The recommendations are particularly applicable for clinicians working in geographic locations with limited resources for TGD communities.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2019
In the field of applied behavior analysis, professionals are likely to interact with transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people, either as clients, in a supervision context, in the university classroom, or in the workplace. This paper presents a selfassessment checklist tool that can be used to assess one's current behaviors of TGNC-affirming practices, along with guidance for using the tool to achieve growth in this area. Keywords gender. LGBTQIA. transgender. ethics. self-assessment The Need for TGNC-Affirming Practices Currently, there are estimated to be more than 1.3 million transgender people in the United States, which accounts for approximately 0.58% of the population (Flores, Herman, Gates, & Brown, 2016). Research indicates that many children develop a sense of their gender identity by age 4; however, for other individuals, gender identity is developed during adolescence or adulthood, and for others, it continues to evolve throughout the life span (
The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 2016
The presence of individuals who identify as transgender has emerged into public awareness in the United States in recent years. Celebrities who publicly transition have expanded the national conversation about gender variation beyond gender and women's studies classrooms and certain specialty health and mental health services. This increased public visibility has been accompanied by increased visibility in the mental health literature, including the publishing of competencies or guidelines for working with clients who identify as transgender by various professional organizations. However, rapid societal changes and increased understanding of the experience of being transgender in our society means literature can rapidly become dated. This commentary identifies key points that will move forward professional competency, both of the field and of individual practitioners, in the provision of psychological services. Topics discussed include (1) how mental health has contributed to tr...
PubMed, 2022
Following the growth in visibility of Transgender and Gender Non-Confirming-identified people (TGNC) in popular culture and media, along with the increase in number of health clinics focusing on working with this population, and the development of a special interest in health professionals in TGNC-related issues, flourishing scientific literature and updated guidelines to help Mental Health Professionals (MHPs) work affirmatively with transgender individuals is pertinent. Despite the increased attention toward TGNC individuals, this population is still faced with political, economic, legal, and medical obstacles affecting their mental health and access to health care. Moreover, MHPs still report having limited training and experience in TGNC-affirmative care. This article aims at providing professionals with the most updated information and research findings to help them develop a more trans-affirmative practice. After defining key terms and providing a definition of TGNC-affirmative health care, this article will focus on summarizing the main documents that inform MHPs working with this population. This article offers research-based guidelines and discusses the major theoretical frameworks professionals are encouraged to incorporate in their work when developing TGNC-affirmative care. Additionally, this article will present the current debate around the diagnoses of Gender Dysphoria (DSM-V) and Gender Incongruence (ICD-11). The controversy between the Medical Model based on the Diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria and the emerging Informed Consent Model will be reviewed.
Men and Masculinities, 2019
The history of gender theory is marked by critical conversations, difficult dialogues, and inspiring activism that have expanded gender informed treatment and continue to shape interventions for people with a variety of gender identities (see Singh and dickey, 2017). The "APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men" are an example of progress toward better understanding how gender identity impacts psychological and counseling treatment. But while the guidelines mention gay, bisexual, and transgender men, the focus on heterosexual, cisgender masculinity precludes them from fully exploring theoretical and treatment implications for transgender and non-binary people. We expand the conversation around therapeutic work with boys and men by focusing on how "affirmative practice" (see Singh and dickey 2017) with transgender and non-binary individuals may inform use of the Guidelines. In doing so, we draw attention to where the Guidelines may be expanded to be more inclusive of transgender and non-binary peoples' experiences.