Gender Affirmative Therapy: Intake with Jemma

Scenario

Jemma Walker, a new client, wants to talk about the death of their mother. Prior to the session, Jemma completed the standard intake form, but did not answer the questions identifying their gender or pronouns. Complete an intake session with Jemma to help them identify their goals for therapy while listening for invitations to explore gender identity.

Mental health providers must understand and respond to the unique needs of individuals across gender-diverse populations. Unfortunately, many individuals report negative experiences in therapy resulting from lack of provider knowledge. Effective training can help providers develop the skills and confidence needed to create a safe and trusting environment where gender minorities feel comfortable and validated when sharing their experiences.

Teaching Objectives:

• Creating a Safe and Trusting Environment
• Demonstrating Cultural Competency
• Creating Opportunities for Clients to Share Gender
• Validating a Client’s Identity and Experiences
• Reduce Power Dynamics (i.e., inherent in therapy and associated with gatekeeping)

Included in Training:

• A Training Guide with information on gender affirming care and working with clients in a respectful manner that positions them to achieve their best outcomes when starting therapy.
• A Simulated Conversation with a varied character to prepare learners for clients with variations in gender identity and social dynamics.
• Comprehensive Feedback during and after each play to help guide skill development.

This training was developed in collaboration with Towson Universityand with funding from The National Institutes of Health (Grant Number: #R44MD014112).

This training can be purchased as a part of the Gender Affirmative Therapy Training Suite. Please Contact Us for more information on pricing.

Research

Humm, L. B., Steacy, C., Elkins, J., Sailer, C., Olsen, D., Kukucka, J., Schmidt, C.K., & Galupo, M.P. (2020, August). Community partners develop practice simulations to train gender-affirmative therapy skills [Poster session]. American Psychological Association.