What is Gender Affirming Therapy?
What Is Gender Affirming Therapy?
Gender affirming therapy is a form of therapy tailored to help individuals come to terms and be comfortable with their gender. It builds upon the principle that no sexual orientation or gender identity is better, superior, or more natural than others. Gender-affirming therapy does not try to change you. It helps you accept who you are.
Why Is Gender Affirmative Therapy Important?
For years, myths and misinformation have been spread on gender diversity, which has put a lot of pressure on young people, especially those who are exploring their gender. With gender affirmative therapy, therapists seek to help our clients understand the choices they can make in regards to their gender and assist them in making these choices.
How Does Gender Affirming Therapy Work?
Gender affirming therapy focuses on helping clients affirm their gender identity. It does so by taking care of the following.
Trauma: this often arises as a result of living in a majority heterosexual and cisgender society. This leads to encounters and experiences that create trauma in a gender-diverse individual as a result of physical and emotional abuse of people in the society.
Shame: Feelings of shame could arise when a gender-diverse individual is made to feel flawed or dysfunctional. This could also lead to anxiety.
Depression: The feeling that no one understands or can relate to their plight can push a person who is trying to come to terms with their gender identity off the edge and into depression. Repeated trauma can also lead to even higher levels of depression. The lack of societal support is a factor that further influences depressive tendencies in gender-diverse individuals. Self-harm: Gender non-conforming individuals are prone to suicidal and self-harm tendencies. Research has shown that up to 50% of gender non-conforming individuals have tried to harm themselves in the course of their lives. Societal hostility and the lack of support over time lead to these tendencies.
Violence: There have been several reports of violence towards gender diverse individuals. At least 25% of gender non-conforming individuals have been victims of hate crimes.
Gender affirming therapy is meant to educate and support gender-diverse individuals and help them develop confidence and self-esteem. Gender diversity is not a disability and having a non-conforming gender does not make one less than.
A gender therapist will not try to make you change your mind concerning your sexual orientation. Rather, a gender therapist will provide the support that will help you understand and further connect with yourself. There is no correct way to express gender and each individual should be confident in whichever way they choose to express their gender.
Who is Gender Affirming Therapy For?
Gender diverse individuals
Gender affirming therapy is of immense benefit to the client. It creates a safe space for the client to deal with issues that arise from living in a predominantly heterosexual and cisgender society.
Families
A lot of families struggle to come to terms with a member coming out as gender diverse. Affirmative therapy in a family setting will help members of such a family to work together to accept the gender-diverse individual. Families must learn to support and honor the gender identities of their gender-diverse members. This can be done by respecting their choice of pronouns and clothing.
Parents
In the case of parents, it is important that they are accepting of their child's gender identity. In cases where parents are not fully attuned to their child's gender identity, it is important to work with the parents separately before family sessions begin. This is to ensure that negative messages are not sent to the child from the parent.
The Importance of Gender Affirming Therapy
Gender affirming therapy is very important as gender non-conforming individuals may have faced disapproval, rejection, and even condemnation from different sources. Therapy helps to eliminate these negative reactions by helping gender diverse individuals feel comfortable with and positive about their gender identities.
Therapists can help parents adjust to using the chosen pronouns of their gender-diverse children. This is important because of the pain that is attached to being misgendered, especially by members of one's family. The child can also be taught to speak to their parents about how they feel when they are misgendered.
Final Thoughts
Gender affirming therapy is specific and properly attuned to the unique challenges of those who identify as gender diverse, which is why it is important to choose a therapist with expertise in this particular area. If you have any questions about gender affirming therapy or are ready to schedule a consultation, please feel free to reach out. My office is a safe space to receive guidance and meet your goals. I look forward to hearing from you!
