How a Gender Specialist Can Help You With Your Transition
Imagine if you went to a restaurant and ordered a burger from the menu and the chef came out from the kitchen and asked you to teach him how to make that burger. He goes on to say that he knows there is beef involved but that’s about it. Chances are you would find someplace else to eat – or in the very least get something else to eat!
If your Ferrari needed a tune up, would you take it to the same place that you would take your lawn mower? If you said “yes”, than you either have a poorly running Ferrari or a lawn mower that can take down the neighborhood.
As you can see, areas of specialty require a specialist. When choosing a therapist, you may find one that’s a great clinician but if he or she doesn’t specialize in gender related issues, chances are some things may be missed.
Here’s How a Gender Specialist Can Help You with Your Transition:
A gender specialist spends a lot of time working with the transgender community. Because of this, they understand the many different types of gender expression. You will never be forced into a binary box and you can rest assured that you will be affirmed and supported wherever you are and wherever you want to go with your transition. Gender variance will never been seen as a psychosis.
Exploring Medical Transition
For those exploring medical transition, a gender specialist is familiar with and works within the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). WPATH are ethical guidelines providing the support you need in order to move forward in your journey in a safe and efficient way. In addition, you may need referrals for everything from finding the best doctors to finding the best binder. A gender specialist will have all of the up to date information.
Because transition doesn’t happen in a bubble, a gender specialist can help determine if your life is ready to support your transition. Together with a gender specialist you will explore how to deal with your family, your job, your social life and the other aspects of your life with the knowledge that you are being supported by someone who has been down these particular roads many times before. Transitioning can also include legal issues such as name and gender marker changes on legal documents. A gender specialist will know exactly how to help you with all of this.
Parents of Transitioning Children
If you are a parent of a young child who is transitioning, a gender specialist is most important. You will be dealing with issues pertaining to school, to family, and to social situations. You may even be exploring when and what types of medical interventions to seek out. These are all issues where a gender specialist has exceptional experience and knowledge.
So, while a general therapists are great for most things, when it comes to transitioning, a gender specialist is essential.
