Lynne Carroll, PhD, ABPP, Editor
Lauren Mizock, PhD, Editor
We, the editors of this special issue, are cisgender. Our gender privilege and unearned advantages impact the research and clinical work that we do, and we must stay vigilant to our blindspots and biases. Our TGD colleagues have trained us and many other cisgender people in trans-affirmative care and research so that we do not rely on the trans community to conduct this work alone. Mental health providers must become trans-affirmative in their practice in order to better serve the trans community instead of expecting them to instruct us in their care. As cisgender people, we can move beyond the position of “trans ally” to “trans activist” in the mission to challenge transphobia
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and recognize that we have gendered identities implicated in and affected by gender-based oppression.While our collective consciousness about gender diversity shifts, and professional clinical guidelines and practices are revised, much work remains. Many clinicians report a lack of confidence, knowledge, and competence in trans-affirmative practice. Empirically supported treatments, longitudinal research, appropriate assessments, and models of clinical decision-making are needed.
The U.S. elected administration of 2017 threatens the rights of transgender people, including the support of conversion therapy, limitations to bathroom use, and allowing businesses to refuse service to trans people.
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Consequently, we lead this special issue with dickey and Singh’s article on social justice and advocacy. A political history of the relationship between TGD and the mental health communities is provided, and they outline the role of helping professionals in advocating for the rights of TGD people.Fraser and Knudson provide insights as past and current presidents, respectively, of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and explore challenges in the development of the Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People, Version 7 (SOC 7).
Mizock demonstrates how the increased prevalence of mental disorders among transgender individuals is largely impacted by transphobia, including suicidality, anxiety, depression, and other disorders.
dickey, Singh, and Walinsky focus on the treatment of trauma and nonsuicidal self-injury in transgender adults, with an emphasis on understanding the impact of gender minority stress on these problems.
Keo-Meier and Fitzgerald provide a much-needed overview of psychological testing and neurocognitive assessment with transgender adults, including the cognitive effects of hormone therapy on mood and cognition as well as personality and psychopathology assessments.
Budge and dickey address common but challenging clinical representations to help readers understand the nuances associated with writing letters and engaging in consultation with interdisciplinary health care providers.
Gorton and Erickson-Schroth as well as Wesp and Deutsch adopt an individualized approach to gender-affirming hormonal and surgical treatment of TGD persons based upon current professional guidelines and research regarding the use of hormones and gender-affirming surgical options.
Coolhart and Shipman provide an in-depth description of their gender-affirmative family therapy model, which attends to ways that clinicians can increase family’s understanding and support of their child’s gender expression and transition options.
Carroll discusses therapeutic issues and interventions for use with TGD elders. A case vignette is offered to illustrate the complex interplay between age, life phase, and sociocultural and historical contexts.
Austin, Craig, and Alessi present their model, Transgender Affirmative-Cognitive Behavior Therapy, to help TGD clients identify and challenge transphobic attitudes and behaviors and internalized stigma in a safe and supportive environment.
Heck provides a compelling rationale for the use of group counseling as a treatment modality and identifies specific professional guidelines and competencies necessary to provide trans-affirmative group psychotherapy.
In closing, we extend our gratitude to lore dickey, PhD for helping to develop this special issue in the initial stages. We should also note that language and word choice when working with the trans community is constantly evolving, and you may find differences in the use of terms such as gender nonconforming or gender diverse depending on the author. We hope you find the contents of this special issue helpful in filling the gaps in research, assessment, and psychotherapy with TGD individuals and families.
References
- Evaluating the ally role: social justice and collective action in counseling and psychology.J Soc Action Couns Psychol. 2016; 8: 17-33
- Trump victory alarms gay and lesbian groups.New York Times. 2016; (Available at:)
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: December 22, 2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
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