Presentation at the Inaugural USPATH Conference Description:

Often, the mental health practitioner is the first person transgender adolescents encounter on their quest for gender-affirmative interventions. Transgender adolescents require an approach to counseling that involves their families, as well as the systems they encounter in their daily lives. Questions inevitably emerge that require the clinician to make thoughtful decisions concerning specialized interventions: When is it appropriate to refer for medical interventions? Can a teenager competently forecast whether or not they will regret transitioning once they are adults? As a clinician, should I evaluate dysphoric distress, or must I determine their gender identity? How does a clinician make a determination in a transgender teen’s best interest? What is our role as clinicians in advocating for transgender adolescents?

This workshop addresses the ethical concerns and clinical issues faced by clinicians who work with transgender adolescents and their families or guardians. Topics such as paternalism, autonomy, informed consent, and standards of care are explored. A case vignette is used to highlight the difficult and complex questions that emerge during work with transgender minors.