Gender identity is your personal, deeply held experience of your gender and it is often formed by the age of 3. Gender identity is not something others will see or affirm. It comes from within you and how you feel about your gender within your knowing soul.

Transgender: When your binary gender identity is opposite from your assigned sex. This term now adheres to a broad spectrum of people who may or may not want to have sex reassignment surgery (SRS) or surgery that helps them to look more feminine or masculine.

Bi-Gender, gender-fluid: When you have an over-lap of gender identification, or have two or more genders.

Gender Dysphoria: When you are not comfortable within your own skin because you strongly feel that your assigned gender does not mirror the gender you internally identify with is one component of gender dysphoria. When your body does not reflect the gender you identify with, this can cause severe distress, anxiety and depression. Your ability to function fully in the world is affected by this to such an extent that it interferes with relationships with family, friends and in work life.

“In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association released the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) which replaced the outdated entry “Gender Identity Disorder” with Gender Dysphoria, and changed the criteria for diagnosis. The necessity of a psychiatric diagnosis remains controversial, as both psychiatric and medical authorities recommend individualized medical treatment through hormones and/or surgeries to treat gender dysphoria. Some transgender advocates believe the inclusion of Gender Dysphoria in the DSM is necessary in order to advocate for health insurance that covers the medically necessary treatment recommended for transgender people.” GLAAD.org

HINT: When you think about your assigned gender, do you feel trapped and caged and experience emotional upheaval that can include depression, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, low self-esteem and grief? Do you feel alone in these feelings? Don’t go it alone. When you reach out you can get the help and referrals that can make your life worth living. This is not a mental disorder.

Gender Non-Conforming: Refers to people who do not follow other people’s ideas or stereotypes about how they should look or act based on the female or male sex they were assigned at birth.

This is a gender expression that moves away from the expectations of what is typically masculine and typically feminine. **If you think you are a gender non-conforming person it does not mean that you are transgender. If you are transgender it does not mean that you are gender non-conforming person.** The term is not synonymous with  Only used if someone self-identifies as a gender non-conforming person.

Gender Queer: If you experience your gender identity or express your gender in ways that fall outside the norm for men and women, and/or that expression is somewhere in between, you may be comfortable with this identity of the self. Remember, this does not mean that you are a transgender person.

What is the process?

Therapy is part of the work you will engage in to meet the goals you create. The goal is not to change the parts of the self you like, rather to understand and deal with the stress that is present and persistent. No one goes through life without having issues that get in the way of being the best person they can be. The past intrudes on the present, and the soul needs to heal from the pain, instead of reliving it. Using a variety of tools that include conversation, self- soothing techniques, EMDR, guided imagery, writing, and interactive healing, you will find the balance necessary to have a life that is conscious and self-caring. Together we will find the treatments that are best for you. I work with significant others, partners, friends, family and even coworkers. Sometimes having an advocate is an essential element in healing. Creating a safe, non-judgmental, compassionate and honest environment is what I strive to foster in my work with you.

I use the WPATH standards of care (SOC) http://www.wpath.org/uploaded_files/140/files/Standards%20of%20Care,%20V7%20Full%20Book.pdf

HINT: When you live a lie, the lie gets in the way of life. When you can’t be honest with yourself, you are not honest with others. You create a self imposed prison that you have the key to: so use the key to honor the soul within and come out of hiding.

Referral base: Hair, make-up, hair removal, poise, clothing consultants, surgeons, psychiatrists, speech coaches