Abstract
Transition is a process by which transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) people align their gender expression in social, legal, and bodily dimensions to gain gender congruence. Medical transition can include hormones, medical procedures, and/or surgical interventions. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) publishes standards of care, which have put therapists in the unique role of attesting to a client’s mental health status to access aspects of medical transition. The letter writing process often elicits negative transference due to the history of gatekeeping medical transition by psychotherapists. This workshop will discuss the impact of medical transition on psychological and physical well-being to help psychotherapists assist clients with medical transition more effectively. We will cover a wide variety of interventions that may be a part of a client’s medical transition in detail from both a medical and psychological standpoint. Additionally, we will cover how medical transition can impact a client’s sexuality and relationships. Participants will learn the required pieces of information therapists need to obtain for a letter for gender confirming surgery according to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care and the informed consent model. We will discuss transference dynamics that can occur during the transition process and how to address them effectively. We will cover how to help clients advocate for insurance coverage and which laws protect TGNB patients healthcare rights. Finally, we will use case vignettes to address complex issues that may arise during medical transition, including common psychological reactions to preparation, surgery, complications, and post-operative care.
Content warning: This workshop includes graphic material related to surgery.
Learning objectives
- Describe at least 4 gender confirming surgeries for transgender and non-binary people
- Describe at least 3 psychological benefits for transgender and non-binary people who medically transition (when it is right for them)
- Assist clients in determining and prioritizing surgery needs
- Write a letter supporting gender confirming surgery utilizing World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care, 7th Edition
- Describe at least 2 transference dynamics that can occur during the letter writing process
- Advocate for insurance coverage for gender confirming surgery, hormones, or psychotherapy
- Describe the 10 tasks clients must complete in order to have a successful surgery
- Describe at least 3 ways in which psychotherapists can help clients prepare mentally for surgery
- Describe at least 2 ways in which psychotherapists can help clients prepare physically for surgery
- Describe how dependence needs can manifest during surgical recovery
- Describe how building emotional resilience can minimize pain during surgical recovery
Price
$240 for licensed
$200 for licensed in non-profit organization (use code PPMT22L)
$120 for pre-licensed (use code PPMT22N)
You can also get free access to this course and all other courses with our memberships:
About the Presenter
Cadyn Cathers, PsyD (he/him/his) has been teaching courses on human sexuality, psychotherapy with LGBTQIA+ communities, and psychodynamic theory for over 10 years, and serves as teaching faculty at Antioch University Los Angeles in the LGBT Specialization. He is the founder and CEO of The Affirmative Couch, which provides online continuing education on clinical work with LGBTQIA+, CNM, and kink communities. He is a licensed psychologist in private practice at the Out Couch Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, P.C., where he focuses on psychoanalytic psychotherapy with transgender and nonbinary patients.
Additional Information
Instruction Level
This course is meant for an intermediate to advanced audience.
Who should Attend
Psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists and social workers.
Format
Recorded webinar recorded in March 2022.
Completion Requirements
- To get CE credit, you will need to take the post-test with at least a 80% score in order to receive your certificate for a homestudy course.
Financial Support
The Affirmative Couch pays course presenters for their teaching. There is no other financial support for this course.
Conflict of Interest
There is no reported conflict of interest or outside commercial support for this course.
Contact Information
For any inquiries related to subject matter, problem resolution, corrections, grievances, or anything else, please contact us.
Accommodations
The Affirmative Couch will work to accommodate reasonable accommodations requests. Requests can be emailed with “accommodation request” in the subject line. Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Testimonials from the Live Event
“It was such a great course! a lot of information packed into two days but so useful to learn and practice within the vignettes.”
“Such a great course and wealth of knowledge.”
“Dr. Cathers/Cadyn was such a rockstar. I can’t even imagine teaching a 6 hour training, much less a 12-hour. He’s incredible and I hope he enjoyed teaching it as much as we loved learning about the info.”
“It was incredibly helpful and will improve my care as a therapist. I appreciated and honored the sharing of Dr. Cathers personal stories and testimonies. It was beneficial to my learning and made the lecture engaging.”
“The inclusion of case vignettes was helpful for conceptualization and discussion.”
“Very informative! Makes me want to continue to learn and advocate.”
“Dr. Cathers was awesome and the lecture, although fairly long, was very engaging. You can really tell that Dr. Cathers has a passion for what he does and truly cares about his clients.”
“[This course] widened my depth of knowledge to better prepare clients with options, and managing expectations.”
“…beyond the usual entry level information.”
“Almost all of the information was new to me. I knew of some of the different kinds of surgeries but I did not know what aftercare looked like or what the risks were for these procedures.”
“Cadyn is very knowledgable and effective at relaying information.”
“Really great, enhanced what I knew and improved ways I can assist clients in seeking medical intervention.”
“Dr. Cadyn was wonderful!”
Testimonials Regarding the Presenter in Other Courses
Identity Development around Sexuality, Gender and Relationships
“Cadyn’s mastery of knowledge combined with his personable and approachable style made for a welcoming space for learning.”
“Cadyn is amazing! He is a wealth of knowledge and provides such a rich tapestry of understanding, perspective taking, and case conceptualization. It was so informative and I am excited to share this information not only with clients but also with fellow clinicians.”
Working Alliance with Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Clients
“Dr. Cadyn is clearly very knowledgeable.”
“Thank you for all of the qualitative and quantitative data! That really kept my interest and I appreciate all of the effort Cadyn put into that, as well as in sharing it.”
“I was so impressed by the presentation of quantitative details from his dissertation. So well done!”
Continuing Education Approvals
The Affirmative Couch, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Affirmative Couch, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
$240.00
