As a gender affirming therapist, my role is to provide an environment that is safe for my clients to process their thoughts, emotions, concerns and questions so that they can determine, nurture, and voice their identity across settings and activities of daily living.
Studies show that access to Gender-Affirming Care (GAC) is associated with 60% lower odds of depression and 74% lower odds of self-harm or suicidal thoughts among youth. Research by numerous studies demonstrates that gender transition is effective in treating gender dysphoria, and regret following gender affirming medical treatment is very rare, with rates ranging from 0.3% to 3.8%. Lastly, research demonstrated that when supported and allowed to transition socially, transgender youth experience mental health outcomes comparable to their cisgender peers.
As states move to restrict certain treatments of transgender youth, it is imperative that individuals of all ages have access to the supports and services necessary to live as their most authentic selves. The World Health Organization defines gender-affirming care as including a range of social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity” when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth. These invaluable supports and services assist transgender individuals in aligning their biological, social-emotional and interpersonal lives with their gender identity.
My lived experience as a mother of a transgender child has provided me with a personal appreciation in this matter. It was imperative for our child’s emotional and physical health that we find them a gender affirming therapist so that they could safely explore, define, and be validated in their experience with an objective and supportive mental health provider. Thereby equipping them to live their most healthy life with authenticity and pride.
At Avance Care, you will find allies for you and/or you family member in physicians and advance practice providers specializing in Gender-Affirming care who deliver compassionate care for the whole person.
Additional Resources
Gender Affirming Care Is Evidence Based for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Fight for Gender-Affirming Health Care
