by Greenlee Brown There are reasons for using labels. They can be very useful, in an elemental way. To label something is to identify it and categorize it, which makes it easier to talk about, and therefore easier to share. Labels can promote intimacy and community, and when more and more people agree on the
by Worner Leland, MS, BCBA, of Upswing Advocates As a clinician, it is important to build competency in transgender care, but it may be difficult to know where to start. In our last blog we presented some gender-affirming clinical skills you can incorporate into your practice. Here are some additional skills to best serve your
by Worner Leland, MS, BCBA, of Upswing Advocates Whether someone thinks a lot about their gender or has never given their gender identity much thought, everyone has a gender identity. Cisgender means: having a gender identity that matches the gender assigned to one at birth (from the Latin prefix “cis” meaning “on this side of”).
by Danielle Carlson, AMFT Back in May, I was fortunate to be part of a panel of trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) members of the polyam community at the 1st Annual Chicago Non-Monogamy conference. We got to talk about our own experiences of dating and being non-monogamous as non-binary people, and also had the chance
by Elizabeth Duke, PsyD April 28-30th I had a wonderful opportunity — to attend the National LGBTQ Health Conference 2017! The event was sponsored by Northwestern Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing as well as Center on Halsted Sexual Orientation and Gender Institute. The conference was specifically geared toward research that could help
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. My world and life, like many people’s, is a mix of privilege and struggle. As a cisgender woman, I have some privileges that trans women and men do not. For example, I can assume that others will use my preferred pronouns (she, her, and hers) when referencing me. As a person
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. As therapists, we recognize our ethical obligations to know and acknowledge the limits of our training and skills. We know that our expertise grows over time with experience and supervision, reading, dialogue and further training. These activities contribute to our mastery of specialized areas, methods or skills. But what about cultural
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. No one is immune from bias, not even us therapists! Everyone has bias. Therapist bias takes many forms, especially with regards to clients’ sexuality, gender, erotic orientation, etc… Bias ranges from misinformed opinions about BDSM to confusing polyamory with infidelity to other subtle perceptions, beliefs and attitudes. Bias is a part
by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. Bias influences all of us — even therapists. In fact, one 2011 study indicates that as many as 50% of clients identifying as polyamorous had seen therapists that they felt lacked cultural competency or were biased. Meanwhile, a 2006 study by Drs. Keely Kolmes, Wendy Stock, and Charles Moser found that