6.2 Giving the last words to Patrick and Jake
According to the Government Equalities Office (2018), there are an estimated 200,000–500,000 trans people in the UK and as you have seen, the ICTA research has shown they carry a considerable mental health burden, whilst struggling to access culturally competent services and enduring protracted waits for healthcare. ICTA participants often identified a need and desire for therapy:
‘I think if there had been somebody to talk to more about my gender stuff, like a gender therapist or a trauma therapist or someone who knows about that stuff, it would have been helpful.
I wish I’d been offered counselling or some sort of therapeutic support from the start.’
The need, therefore, for therapists with a robust understanding of trans experiences is considerable, as is the need to support trans students to enter and trans therapists to work within the profession.
In this course, you have learned about the ways practitioners can add to the minority stress of trans clients or provide a safer space than the ones they encounter outside of the therapy room, by practising in an affirmative way and consciously considering their unconscious biases around trans people.
It seems appropriate to end this course by hearing from our client and therapist again.
Activity 6.2: Last thoughts from Patrick and Jake
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6.1 Reflecting on your learning