Counselling for Gender Dysphoria

A counsellor experienced in gender dysphoria and trans people will have an understanding of what you are going through, and the options available to you. They ... FindacounsellorWhat'sworryingyou?DiscoverAdviceArticlesSelf-helpnewPodcastWorriedaboutsomeone?LearnWhatiscounselling?TypesoftherapyTypesoftherapistFAQsEventsAboutus Followus Areyouaqualifiedtherapist? Login Joinus MembersArea Logout Search SearchCounsellingDirectory Allsite Counsellororpsychotherapists Events Search Searchingforaspecificcounsellororpsychotherapist? Tryouradvancedsearch Home>What'sworryingyou?>Genderdysphoria What'sworryingyou? Genderdysphoria Genderdysphoria,alsoknownasgenderidentitydisorder(GID),isatermusedtodescribethedistressapersonfeelswhentheirgenderdoesnotmatchthesextheywereassignedatbirth.  Therearelotsofchildrenandyoungpeoplewhofeelthisway.Imagineyoursenseofselfnotmatchingyourphysicalbeing-feelingthiswaycanbeverydistressing.Whilegenderdysphoriaisnotamentalhealthproblem,itcancausethepersonagreatdealofstress. Hidingyourtrueidentity,alongwithgrowingupinasocietyfilledwithmisunderstandingandstigma,willundoubtedlyaffectyou. Jumpto: Whatisgenderdysphoria? Signsofgenderdysphoria Livingwithgenderdysphoria Comingoutastransgender Thenextsteps Findingsupport Whatisgenderdysphoria? Genderdysphoria,orgenderidentitydisorder,iswhensomeoneisbornonegender,butidentifiesasanother.Thismaymeanthatapersonbornamaleidentifiesasfemale,orviceversa. Somepeoplemaynotidentifywithagenderatall. Peoplewhofeelthiswayaremostcommonlyknownas‘transgender’or‘trans’however,weunderstandthattranspeopleself-identifyinmanyways.Throughoutthisfact-sheet,wewilluse‘trans’asaninclusiveterm,whichembracestrans,trans*,transgender,gendernonconformingandgendervariant,amongothers. Non-binarygenderidentity Peoplecanalsodescribethemselvesas‘non-binary’,whichiswhentheydonotfeeltheyaremalenorfemale.Non-binaryalsoembracesthosewhoidentifyasandrogyne,thirdgenderandpolygender,whoarenotcomfortablethinkingofthemselvesassimplymaleorfemale.Theymayidentifyasacombinationofthetwo,orneither. Signsofgenderdysphoria It’scommonforthesignsofgenderdysphoriatoshowataveryearlyage.Childrenmayrefusetowearcertainclothesordisliketakingpartintypicalboysorgirls’activities.Otherbehavioursmayinclude: insistingthattheyareoftheoppositesex wantingtowearclothestypicallywornbytheothersex,anddislikingorrefusingtowearclothes typicallywornbytheirsex wantingtotakepartinandplaywithmembersoftheoppositesex,whilerefusingtotakepartin activitiestypicallywithandfortheirsex insistingorhopingthattheirgenitalswillchange feelingextremedistressatpubertyandthephysicalchangesthatwilloccur feelingsofanxietyanddepression Inmanycases,thesebehavioursarejustapartofthechildgrowingup.Yetifthefeelingsofgenderdysphoriaarestillpresentastheygothroughtheirteenageyearsandintoadulthood,itislikelythatitisnotastageofdevelopment,andfurthersupportmaybeneeded. Whilemanypeoplewithgenderdysphoriawillfeelthiswayduringearlychildhood,thisisn’talwaysthecase.Somepeoplemaynotrecognisetheirfeelingsforwhattheyareuntiladulthood,ortheysimplylearnedtosuppressandhidethefeelingstoavoidpeerandfamilyrejectionwhilegrowingup. Pubertyforceschangesonabodythatcanfeelparticularlyuncomfortable.Unwantedchangesarehappening,sowhileachildmayhaveenjoyedbeingandrogynousgrowingup,thesecondarysexcharacteristicsofpubertycanbeverydistressing. Astrong,resonatethoughtthatshookmetothecore:Idon’twanttobeagirlanymore. -ReadZach'sstory. Therearenophysicalsignsofgenderdysphoria,buttherearespecificbehavioursthatpeoplemaydisplay. Ifyouareateenageroradult,whosefeelingsofgenderdysphoriastartedinchildhood,youmaynowfeellikeyouhaveamuchclearersenseofyouridentityandhowyouwanttodealwithit.Youmaybecertainthatyourgenderidentityisatoddswithyourassignedsex,astrongdesiretohideorberidofthephysicalsignsofyoursex,suchasbreastsandbodyhair. HowwillIknowifIhaveit? Onlyyoucaneversayhowyoufeel.Somepeoplewillknowfromaveryyoungage,whileotherswillfeelliketheydon’t‘fit’withmembersoftheirsex,butnotknowwhattodo,orhowtotellpeoplehowtheyfeel.Manypeoplewillkeeptheirthoughtsandfeelingstothemselves,livingalifeandbodytheyaren’thappyin. Everyonedeservestolivethelifetheywant.Thisiswhywearepassionateaboutraisingawarenessofissuesandprovidingpeoplewiththeinformationandsupporttheyneed. Livingwithgenderdysphoria Itcanbeverydistressing,keepinghowyoufeeltoyourself.Whetherthroughlackofsupport,informationorfromfearofjudgementordiscrimination,livingalifewhereyouareunhappy,really,isnolifeatall. Genderdysphoriaisnotamentalillness,however,peoplewhoexperiencegenderdysphoriaoftensuffergreatstressasaresultofhidingtheiridentity.Thisiswhyitissoimportantthatwespeakabouttheseissues-societyneedstounderstandandbemoreawareoftheissuesandfeelingsmanypeopleexperience.Talkingaboutitandsupportingeachotheristhefirststeptobreakingdownthestigma,andhelpingtranspeoplefeelmorecomfortableinreachingoutandaskingforhelp.Nobodyshouldfeeltheyhavetokeepquietaboutwhotheyare. AccordingtocharityStonewall,twoinfivetranspeople(41%)saidthatwhenaccessinggeneralhealthcareservicesin2017,healthcarestafflackedunderstandingoftranshealthneeds. Ifapersonhasmadethedecisiontochangetheirgenderrole,thisisknownas‘transition’.Thisenablesthemtoexpressthemselvesinlinewiththeirgenderidentity,perhapsbychoosinganewnameandchangingtheirappearance,likechangingtheirhairorwearingdifferentclothes.Thewayinwhichindividualsexpressthemselveswillvaryfrompersontoperson,everyoneisdifferentandthesechangestaketime. TheEqualityAct2010  GenderreassignmentisaprotectedcharacteristicundertheEqualityAct2010.Thismeansyouareprotectedbylawifyouareavictimharassmentordiscriminationintheworkplace,andwidersociety.FormoreinformationontheEqualityAct2010andthelawsagainsthatecrime,visitourdiscriminationpage. Comingoutastransgender Tellingpeopleaboutyoursexualityorgenderidentityiscalled‘comingout’.Comingoutisanincrediblyindividualprocessandit’snotnecessarilyaone-offevent.Lesbian,gay,biandtranspeoplemayhavetocomeoutmanytimesduringtheirlivesandsadly,manypeoplewillfaceanumberofchallengeswhendoingso. Howyoucomeoutwilldependonyouandwhatyoufeelcomfortablewith.Forexample,youmayfeelcomfortablespeakingaboutyourgenderidentitywithyourclosefriends,butnotwithyourfamily.Remember,comingoutmaybedifficultandtakesanimmenseamountofcourage. Ifyouhavedecidedthatyouarereadytotellpeople,itcanhelptositandreallythinkabouthowyouwanttotellthem.Considerwhereandhowyoutellthem.Dependingonwhoyoutalkto,theymayhavequestions,sobepreparedtoanswerthem,ortellthemifyou’renotready. IwasfortunateenoughtohaveamotherandsisterwhoweremoreunderstandingthanIcouldhavedreamt.Eventhoughitupsetthemthattheywerelosingadaughterandsister,theywerehappytoseetheconfident,care-freeyoungmanIwasbecoming. Iftheyreactbadly,rememberthattheymayjustneedsometimetoabsorbwhatyou’vetoldthem.Whileyoucan’tpredicthowpeoplewillrespond,ifyouhavetoldaclosefriendyoutrust,thechancesarethey’llbepleasedyou’vesharedsomethingsopersonalandsupportyou.  Don’tfeelunderpressuretocomeout-takeyourtime.Onlyyouwillknowwhenyou’rereadytotalkandaskingforhelpisn’teasy.Ifyoufeelreadytocomeout,butareunsureofhowtobroachthesubjectwithlovedones,visitStonewallformoreinformation. Thenextsteps Treatmentforgenderdysphoriaaimstohelppeoplelivethewaytheywantto,asthegendertheyidentifywith.Whatthismeanswillvaryforeachperson,andisdifferentforchildren,youngpeopleandadults. Thefirststepistospeaktoaprofessional.WhetherthisisyourGP,orapsychotherapistorcounsellor,ifyouhavecometothedecisionthatyouwantfurthertreatment,professionalsupportisessential. Childrenandyoungpeople Under18swilltypicallybereferredtoaspecialistchildandadolescentGenderIdentityClinic(GIC),wherestaffwillcarryoutadetailedassessment,tohelpdeterminewhatsupporttheyneed.Treatmentwillvarydependingontheresultsoftheassessmentandtheageofthechild,thoughoptionsinclude: familytherapy individualchildpsychotherapy parentalsupportorcounselling regularreviews hormonetherapy Also,knowthatschoolshavealegaldutytosupporttransstudents(evensingle-sexschools)andmanyaredoingsoverywell.Ifyouoryourchildisatschoolandwouldlikesupportoutsideofaprofessionalenvironment,considerspeakingtothestudentsupportservicesifavailable,oryourteacher.Theywillbeabletoexplainthesupportavailableandtogetheryoucandecideonthenextsteps. Adults AdultswithgenderdysphoriashouldbereferredtoaspecialistadultGIC.Aswithchildrenandyoungpeople,theseclinicscanofferongoingsupportandadvice,assessmentsandtreatment.Thismayinclude: mentalhealthsupport,suchascounselling cross-sexhormonetreatment speechandlanguagetherapy peersupportgroups Somepeoplefindthatthesupportandadvicefromaspecialistclinicisalltheyneedtofeelcomfortableintheirtransition.Otherswillneedmoreextensivetreatment,suchasafulltransitiontotheoppositesex.Theleveloftreatmentyoureceiveiscompletelydowntoyou-onlyyouknowwhatyouneedandhowyoufeel. Hormonetherapy Hormonetherapyisprescribedtohelpmakeindividualsmorecomfortablewiththemselves-intermsofbothphysicalappearance,andhowtheyfeel.Ifundergoinghormonetherapy,individualswilltakethehormoneoftheirpreferredgender.Whethertestosteroneoroestrogen,thehormoneswillstarttheprocessofchangingthebodyintoonethatismoremaleorfemale. Typically,thiswillbealifelongtreatment,evenifyouhavehadgenitalreconstructivesurgery. Socialgenderroletransition Ifyouareconsideringafulltransitionandrequiringsurgery,youaretypicallyrequiredtofirstliveinyourpreferredgenderidentityfulltimeforatleastoneyear.Thisisknownas‘socialgenderroletransition’(previouslyknownas‘reallifeexperience’)andwillhelpinconfirmingwhetherpermanentsurgeryistherightoptionforyou. Onceyouhavecompletedyoursocialgenderroletransition,andyouandyourcareteamareconfidentyouareready,youmaydecidetogoaheadwiththesurgery. ThegoalI’dbeenstrivingtowardsforsolongwasnowareality,mynormal. Findingsupport Aswesaid,genderdysphoriaisnotamentalillness.Yet,livingalifethatyoufeelisn’tyourscanbedetrimentaltoyourmentalhealthandwell-being.Theconfusion,thefearofjudgement,theisolation,thestress.Allofthesethingscanaffectaperson’smentalhealthandifuntreated,canleadtofurtherproblems.  Talkingisanincrediblyhelpfultool,whereveryouareinyourjourney.Ofcourse,thiscanbeeasiersaidthandone,andsadly,stigmaandmisunderstandingisstillpresentintoday’ssociety.Ifyou’renotreadytotalktofriendsandfamily,seekingprofessionalsupportcanbeanoption. Acounsellorexperiencedingenderdysphoriaandtranspeoplewillhaveanunderstandingofwhatyouaregoingthrough,andtheoptionsavailabletoyou.Theycanofferyouasafeplacetotalk,freeofstigmaandjudgement,andwithoutshame.Inthecounsellingroom,youcanbeyou. OnCounsellingDirectory,wehaveaProofPolicyinplaceinwhichprofessionalsmustprovideproofofqualificationsandinsurance,ormembershipwithaprofessionalbody.Weencourageallmemberstoprovideinformationontheirexperienceandspecialismsontheirprofiles,sotohelpyouunderstandtheirwayofworking,andiftheyaretherightpersonforyou. Knowthatallcounsellingprofessionalbodieshaveoutlawed'conversion'or'reparative'therapies.Whilecounsellorscanofferyouasafespacetoexploregenderdysphoria,theyarenotpermittedtoattemptto'convert'someone'sgenderorsexuality. GenderedIntelligence MermaidsUK Stonewall ContentreviewedbytransgenderspecialistAlexDrummondBACP(Accred)inMarch2018.AllcontentdisplayedonCounsellingDirectoryisprovidedforgeneralinformationpurposesonly,andshouldnotbetreatedasasubstituteforadvicegivenbyyourGPoranyotherhealthcareprofessional. Jumpto: Whatisgenderdysphoria? Signsofgenderdysphoria Livingwithgenderdysphoria Comingoutastransgender Thenextsteps Findingsupport Searchforacounsellor Wouldyouliketoprovidefeedbackonourcontent? Telluswhatyouthink ProvideFeedback Thisiswhereyoucansubmitfeedbackaboutthecontentofthispage. Wereviewfeedbackonamonthlybasis. Pleasenoteweareunabletoprovideanypersonaladviceviathisfeedbackform.Ifyoudo requirefurtherinformationoradvice,pleasevisitthehomepage&usethesearchfunctionto contactaprofessionaldirectly. Youappeartohaveanadblockerenabled.This cancauseissueswithourspampreventiontool.Ifyouexperienceproblems,please trydisablingtheadblockeruntilyouhavesubmittedtheform. Whydidyouvisitus?(Pleasetickanyrelevantanswers)*tofindinformationtohelpwithapersonalissuetofindinformationtohelpafamilymembertofindinformationtohelpafriendtofindinformationtohelpsomeoneIamcaringfortofindinformationtohelpwithmyworktofindinformationtohelpwithmystudiesDidyoufindthispagehelpful?*YesNoPleasetellusif/howwecouldimprovetheinformationprovided* Findatherapistdealingwithgenderdysphoria Whattypeofsessionareyoulookingfor? Inperson Online/Phone Location Searchbylocation Forthemostaccurateresults,pleaseenterafullpostcode.Ifyouaresearchingforan online/phonecounsellorortherapist,youdon'tneedtoenteryourlocation,however,we recommendchoosingacounsellorortherapistnearyou,sothatyouhavethechoicetoseethem inpersoninthefuture. * Search Alltherapistsare verifiedprofessionals. RelatedArticles HowtofindatherapistifyouidentifyasLGBTQ+ Findingtherighttherapistisadauntingprocessforanyone.Recently,I’vehelpedanumberoffriendsand... 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