ABSTRACT
Transgender adults and youth have a unique dependence on therapists to obtain the medical treatments they need to live life expressing their armed gender. Also, as families adjust to their transgender member’s gender identity, they may benet specically from the assistance of family therapists. Despite this need for therapeutic services, many therapists lack the training that is necessary to sensitively serve transgender and transsexual clients (Coolhart, Provancher, Hager, & Wang, 2008; Lev, 2004). Erich, Boutté-Queen, Donnelly, and Tittsworth’s (2007) study found that only 24% of social workers surveyed felt their education prepared them “moderately well” to work with the transgender community, whereas 35% reported their education did not prepare them well and 33% reported they were not prepared at all to work with the transgender community. Families in the process of understanding their transgender youth’s gender identity may seek therapy for a number of reasons. Families may be trying to gain understanding of their child’s identity, wondering if they should be trying to change the behavior, or seeking support, advocacy, or advice as they take steps in actualizing their child’s gender identity (LGBTVanderburgh, 2009). Consider the following two families that may walk into the oce of a family therapist.
