Dr. Antel/Class,
A challenge for me is working with any transgender youth. I feel this will be a challenge for me because not many people focus particularly on transgender youth. Most therapist/counselors focus on gay, lesbian, and bisexual population within LGBT, but many don’t differtiant transgender (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). Just as there is limited information from the counseling perspective, I believe this will be the same for me: not having enough information.
An ethical responsibility a mental health provider is faced with working with youth in the LGBT population is to have knowledge of the treatment and procedures related to transgender youth. To successfully work with transgender youth, a mental health worker should understand the …show more content…
It is helpful for therapist/counselors to know what types of resources are available for the client and their families (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). For example, support groups and endocrinologist could be helpful (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). A therapist can connect the family to resources that he/she may lack such as understanding what it’s like to be a transgender at a young age. Support groups can provide support with others that are struggling with their identities (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). A third ethical responsibility is that the therapist should be willing to be an advocate for his or her client and family (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). I believe this is another challenge for me. Am I really comfortable with accepting a youth as being transgendered or going through the process of transitioning? I am aware that my thoughts are biased. I feel that it too young for a child to transition at a young age and they should wait until they are older. An advocate serves as a person to provide sensitivity training to others (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012).It will be hard for me to do this as I am unsure of how I truly feel about the topic.
Finally, a therapist should continue to learn and research on transgender topics. Transgender are continuously impacted by society and discrimination, therefore, therapist should keep up with sociopolitical forces, the issues they face, and liberation movements (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). Therapist can also acquire knowledge through research and literature (Bernal & Coolhart,
A challenge for me is working with any transgender youth. I feel this will be a challenge for me because not many people focus particularly on transgender youth. Most therapist/counselors focus on gay, lesbian, and bisexual population within LGBT, but many don’t differtiant transgender (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). Just as there is limited information from the counseling perspective, I believe this will be the same for me: not having enough information.
An ethical responsibility a mental health provider is faced with working with youth in the LGBT population is to have knowledge of the treatment and procedures related to transgender youth. To successfully work with transgender youth, a mental health worker should understand the …show more content…
It is helpful for therapist/counselors to know what types of resources are available for the client and their families (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). For example, support groups and endocrinologist could be helpful (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). A therapist can connect the family to resources that he/she may lack such as understanding what it’s like to be a transgender at a young age. Support groups can provide support with others that are struggling with their identities (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). A third ethical responsibility is that the therapist should be willing to be an advocate for his or her client and family (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). I believe this is another challenge for me. Am I really comfortable with accepting a youth as being transgendered or going through the process of transitioning? I am aware that my thoughts are biased. I feel that it too young for a child to transition at a young age and they should wait until they are older. An advocate serves as a person to provide sensitivity training to others (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012).It will be hard for me to do this as I am unsure of how I truly feel about the topic.
Finally, a therapist should continue to learn and research on transgender topics. Transgender are continuously impacted by society and discrimination, therefore, therapist should keep up with sociopolitical forces, the issues they face, and liberation movements (Bernal & Coolhart, 2012). Therapist can also acquire knowledge through research and literature (Bernal & Coolhart,