How to Become a Gender Therapist

Becoming a gender therapist begins by getting a bachelors degree and then obtaining a masters or doctorate to allow you to practice psychotherapy (clinical social work, marriage and family therapy and psychology programs). Some programs do provide LGBTQIA+ course work related to gender, among other topics. If you get a chance to practice psychotherapy while you are still a student, request a setting where you get to work with transgender & non binary folks or those questioning gender.

 

LEARN THE BASICS

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It is preferable that you have foundational knowledge before starting to work with clients.  Your clients should never be the primary source of your learning as this delays them getting the vital care and puts the focus on your needs, not theirs. You can assess your level of competency here if you are not sure if your level of experience equates with a gender therapist level.  Always avoid practicing out of your scope.  Take foundational course work about transgender mental health, trauma-informed care, gender identity development, intersectionality, family, partner, co-occurring issues, community strengths & struggles.  One tip, the LGBT Health Education Center's webinars and publications are free of charge and provide a great deal of foundational info.  The WPATH GEI program also allows you to take their foundational courses without having to be in their certification program first but the downside is they are only offered a few times a year.

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START TO DO THE WORK​

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Once you have the basics down, the key to learning how to be a gender therapist is actually doing the work and consulting with or being supervised by an experienced gender therapist while doing it.  

 

WHAT IF I AM TRANS OR NON BINARY, ISN'T THAT ENOUGH TO BE A GOOD GENDER THERAPIST?

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Being transgender or non binary yourself is a major boost to your knowledge base, your ability to be empathetic and to be nonjudgemental.  However, there is always more to learn because gender identity, gender embodiment goals and peoples' experiences vary widely. Plus, you may know about the medical interventions you, or your friends have utilized but there is a great deal to know so that your clients are not serving as your educator.

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DO I NEED CERTIFICATION?

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It is not necessary to become 'Certified' to become a gender therapist.  However, there are certification programs that help you learn to provide effective and medically necessary care to the community. Typically they involve 30+ hours of coursework and some offer consultation/mentorship with a seasoned gender therapist as part of the program.

 

One certification program with a faculty I know and trust is the Modern Sex Therapy Institutes Transgender Affirmative Mental Health Care Certification.   Their program is comprehensive and it contains coursework focused on letter writing, youth and families and neurodivergent tg/nb clients and sex therapy.  The WPATH Gender Education Institute is another multidisciplinary international certification program.   I work/volunteer for this program (so I am biased) and I know the faculty on our 'mental health' track.  The WPATH GEI Certification Program teaches you foundational knowledge to become a gender therapist and contains more info on medical interventions.  You get to choose electives on neurodivergence, complex cases, intersectionality, and children and adolescents--which you feel apply to your clinical practice.

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THE FIRST FEW YEARS--GET ONGOING CONSULTATION

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For both the Modern Sex Therapy Institutes and WPATH's certification programs, the case consultation part of the program is only ten total hours.  In my experience, ten hours of consultation is useful but not enough to fully build your clinical expertise in caring for gender diverse people.  It is especially helpful to have a consultant/supervisor be on board and follow you treating clients during the often lengthy process of making gender changes.  Your consultant can help you help your clients clarify identity and goals, disclose to loved ones and the workplace, and understand medical and non medical options.  I recommend pairing a certification program with extra supervision or consultation with an seasoned gender therapist (5-10+ years of experience) over the course of the first two years doing your clinical work.  Again, this can take place in a group (like the groups I run) or individually from weekly to once-a-month.  In groups you are exposed to many other therapists' case work, which speeds learning.

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WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED TO BE A GENDER THERAPIST?

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Read clinical books (Eg. A Clinician's Guide to Gender Affirming Care), research articles (Eg. International Journal of Transgender Health), first person accounts, and regularly attend conferences.  A few of those conferences are the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, The National Transgender Health Summit, US Professional Association for Transgender Health Symposia and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Symposia. I recommend going to both grassroots conferences like First Event, as well as professional conferences like USPATH or WPATH's.

You might also consider joining Facebook groups such as 'LGBQIA and Trans Affirming Therapists' or the 'Trans, Queer, and Gender-expansive Therapists Forum.'  If you become a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health you can be on our "DocMatter" online forum to continue learning.

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GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY

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Finally, getting more personally involved in the gender diverse community helps expand your understanding and compassion/empathy.  Go to trans-focused film festivals, socialize in gender diverse spaces where you are welcome, make trans and non binary friends, volunteer for trans-led orgs, go to art shows, poetry slams, dance or music performances. Learn first hand about the gifted and valuable gender diverse community outside of the mental health world.

 

This is a highly rewarding field,  we hope you will join us!

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-Written by Lisette Lahana, LCSW, a gender therapist and consultant with 20+ years in the field of transgender mental health and WPATH GEI Certified Mentor and Member.

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Copyright 2024 Lisette R. Lahana