3.5 Supporting clients around the impacts of transition delays

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Cartoon of a person being strangled by a black tentacled monster who has a mouth full of huge sharp teeth; the person looks very sad.

You have learned about the research that demonstrates that transitioning improves mental health (and the ICTA data supports this). However, the ICTA study highlighted the converse of this, something that is often absent from the conversation on trans issues – the negative impact of not transitioning. To consider this further, try the following activity.

Activity 3.6: Assessing risk for Patrick

Timing: Allow 20 minutes
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There are times when support to access physical transition healthcare are more pressing than psychological interventions in reducing risk – therapists need to be aware of the limitations of therapy and ways they can signpost and advocate for clients.

It may be useful to question the underlying assumption that doing nothing in the case of an expressed trans identity is a neutral act, as the following quotes from ICTA participants suggest:

‘Over the years it just got pushed down more and more, and created a nice mask for myself, with all the usual uber macho things… It was all a mask, none of it worked. In the end something had to give. And it was either embrace what I am or just end it.’

3.4 Supporting clients who receive a gender dysphoria diagnosis

Summary