4 Sneaky Red Flags in Gender Therapy: Watch Out!
Summary
TLDRDr. Z, a Clinical Psychologist specializing in transgender care, cautions viewers on identifying genuine gender therapists. The video outlines four red flags to watch for: minimal online presence, outdated and dogmatic approaches, the need to educate the therapist, and an inability to write gender-affirming evaluation letters. Dr. Z emphasizes the importance of finding competent and transparent care to avoid wasting time and resources in gender identity therapy.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Dr. Z is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in transgender care and emphasizes the importance of finding a knowledgeable gender therapist.
- 🚨 Four key red flags are highlighted to help individuals identify if their therapist is genuinely knowledgeable about gender issues.
- 💻 Red Flag 1: The therapist's online presence has minimal or no information about gender dysphoria or transgender care, apart from a token mention.
- 📚 Red Flag 2: The therapist uses an outdated, dogmatic approach that requires a severe narrative of gender dysphoria for treatment, which is not reflective of modern understanding.
- 🕊️ Red Flag 3: The client has to educate the therapist on basic gender vocabulary and concepts, indicating a lack of competence in the therapist.
- 📝 Red Flag 4: The therapist is unable to write a gender-affirming evaluation letter, which is a fundamental part of supporting transgender clients.
- 💡 The importance of transparency is stressed; if a therapist admits their lack of experience and is willing to learn, it's more acceptable than falsely claiming expertise.
- ⏰ Time is a valuable resource, and therapy should not be a waste of time or money, especially for those struggling with gender identity issues.
- 🤔 Clients are encouraged to be assertive consumers in their therapeutic relationships, with the right to choose or leave a therapist based on their needs and satisfaction.
- 🌈 Dr. Z promotes the idea that being LGBTQ-friendly is a basic human quality, not a specialized skill, and stresses the need for genuine understanding and support.
- 🔍 Finding a gender specialist can be difficult, but it's crucial to work with someone who has at least some experience with gender diverse individuals, even if they are not deeply specialized.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of Dr. Z's channel?
-Dr. Z's channel primarily focuses on transgender care and providing valuable content related to gender therapy and LGBTQ issues.
Why is it important to subscribe to Dr. Z's channel?
-Subscribing to Dr. Z's channel supports the creation of free educational content and helps others find valuable resources on gender therapy and transgender issues.
What are the four red flags Dr. Z discusses to look out for in a gender therapist?
-The four red flags are: 1) Lack of online or media representation beyond a single mention of being LGBTQ-friendly, 2) Using an archaic and dogmatic approach to treatment, 3) The client having to educate the therapist on basic gender vocabulary and concepts, and 4) The therapist's inability to write a gender-affirming evaluation letter.
Why should someone follow Dr. Z on Instagram?
-Following Dr. Z on Instagram provides access to educational tips, guidance, real-life advice, and support, as well as a way to connect with Dr. Z daily.
What does Dr. Z consider a red flag if a therapist's website mentions being LGBTQ-friendly only once?
-A single mention of being LGBTQ-friendly without any other substantial content related to gender therapy or transgender issues is considered a red flag, indicating a lack of genuine expertise or focus in that area.
What is an archaic approach to gender therapy according to Dr. Z?
-An archaic approach to gender therapy is one that requires clients to adhere to a very specific and severe narrative of gender dysphoria to access care, which is outdated and not reflective of the diverse experiences of transgender individuals.
Why is it concerning if a client has to educate their therapist on gender-related vocabulary?
-It is concerning because it indicates that the therapist lacks basic knowledge and understanding of gender identities and affirming care, which is essential for providing competent and supportive therapy.
What should a therapist do if they lack experience in gender therapy?
-A therapist lacking experience in gender therapy should inform their client of their inexperience, seek consultation and guidance from more knowledgeable professionals, and not practice outside their area of competence.
Why is it a red flag if a therapist cannot write a gender-affirming evaluation letter?
-It is a red flag because writing such a letter is a basic part of gender therapy services, and the inability to do so suggests a lack of understanding and training in providing gender-affirming care.
What should a client do if they encounter these red flags with their therapist?
-If a client encounters these red flags, they should consider seeking therapy with someone else who is transparent about their knowledge and experience or is willing to learn and consult with experts in the field.
Outlines
👋 Introduction to Dr. Z's Channel and Importance of Choosing the Right Gender Therapist
Dr. Z, a Clinical Psychologist specializing in transgender care, welcomes viewers to the channel and encourages subscription for free educational content. The video focuses on four red flags to watch for when selecting a gender therapist. Dr. Z emphasizes the value of time and money, the importance of finding accurate and efficient care, and the consumer's right to choose or change therapists. The session aims to empower viewers to make informed decisions about their mental health care.
🚩 Red Flag #1: Lack of Online Representation for Gender Therapy
The first red flag discussed is the absence of substantial online or media representation for gender therapy services. Dr. Z warns against therapists who only make a single mention of working with LGBTQ+ individuals or gender dysphoria on their website or social media, suggesting a lack of genuine expertise or experience in the field. Viewers are advised to look for therapists with a demonstrable track record and substantial content related to gender issues.
🚩 Red Flag #2: Outdated and Dogmatic Approaches to Gender Therapy
The second red flag is the use of outdated and dogmatic approaches to gender therapy, which may involve rigid narratives and long waiting periods for diagnosis. Dr. Z criticizes the practice of requiring individuals to present in their desired gender for an extended period before receiving referrals for hormone therapy, highlighting the need for more modern, compassionate, and efficient methods of care. Therapists who adhere to these outdated practices may lack current knowledge and training in gender-affirming care.
🚩 Red Flag #3: Therapists Lacking Knowledge Require Client Education
The third red flag involves situations where clients find themselves educating their therapists about basic gender-affirming care vocabulary and options. Dr. Z describes this as a clear sign of incompetence, as therapists should be well-versed in current terminology and practices. The ethical obligation to practice within one's area of competence is emphasized, and the importance of seeking consultation when outside of one's expertise is stressed.
🚩 Red Flag #4: Inability to Provide Required Evaluation Letters
The final red flag is the therapist's inability to provide the necessary evaluation letters for insurance approval or surgery, indicating a lack of understanding or experience in the process. Dr. Z argues that this is a fundamental part of gender-affirming care and should not require additional payment or referral to another provider. This red flag suggests that the therapist may be misrepresenting their qualifications or expertise in gender therapy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Clinical Psychology
💡Transgender Care
💡Gender Therapist
💡LGBTQ
💡Gender Dysphoria
💡Red Flags
💡Service Exchange
💡Archaic Approach
💡Dogmatic Approach
💡Competence
💡Evaluation Letter
Highlights
Introduction to Dr. Z, a Clinical Psychologist specializing in transgender care.
Emphasis on the importance of finding a knowledgeable gender therapist due to the high cost and personal nature of therapy.
The significance of time as a valuable resource that should not be wasted in ineffective therapy.
The four red flags to look out for when working with a gender therapist or specialist.
Red Flag 1: Lack of online or media representation beyond a single mention of LGBTQ+ services.
Red Flag 2: Clinicians using archaic, dogmatic approaches to gender therapy.
Concern about the outdated requirement for long-term patient evaluation before confirming gender dysphoria.
Red Flag 3: Therapists lacking basic knowledge and requiring clients to educate them.
Red Flag 4: Therapists unable to write gender-affirming evaluation letters, a basic requirement.
The ethical responsibility of therapists to practice within their competency and seek consultation when needed.
The contrast between genuinely knowledgeable gender therapists and those misrepresenting their expertise.
The difficulty of finding a gender specialist and the advice to continue with a therapist transparent about their limitations.
The importance of being an assertive consumer in therapy and the right to leave if the service is not meeting expectations.
Dr. Z's commitment to providing clarity and guidance for clients in a timely manner, contrasting with outdated practices.
The potential for harm when therapists prolong the diagnosis process due to their own lack of experience.
Advice for clients to share their experiences with gender therapists, especially when disappointments occur.
Closing remarks encouraging clients to be mindful of the red flags and to prioritize their mental health.
Transcripts
hello my favorite Community how
everybody else is doing comment below
let me know I am if you're not familiar
yet Dr Z a Clinical Psychology
specializing in transgender care welcome
to my channel if you're not a subscriber
please go ahead and do subscribe this
way you will not only be supporting me
but helping everybody else find this
valuable content that is completely free
and if you also don't follow me yet on
Instagram link is below trust me it is
worth it I post fantastic shirt
educational tips and guidance reals as
well as additional uh advice and support
it just it's a great way to connect with
me on Instagram because I'm there daily
having said that I wrote down a little
chitchat here before this I wanted to
say before the session but before this
video what we're going to cover today is
I'm going to give you four signs for red
flags to look out for when you are
working with somebody who claims to be a
gender therapist or gender specialist
lgbtq knowledgeable you name it and I
want you to be aware of this red flx
because therapy is not cheap most
insurances don't cover Psychotherapy and
if they do not everybody takes Insurance
your time is valuable time is something
that we can't get back once it's spent
it is gone on top of that for all of you
I know struggling L with
uncertainty lack of
clarity dehab fears and
anxiety all revolving around gender
dysphoria or revolving around some sense
of gender identity or issues related to
gender identity I know how important it
is for you to get answers to your most
pressing concerns I know how valuable it
is for you to not waste any more time
and I know for those of you whove been
living with dysphoria for decades I know
how vital it is again not to waste a
single day because you are so ready to
move forward so I want to give you this
four Flags so that when you do spot them
with somebody who claims to be gender
therapist or gender specialist again you
name it but somebody who basically says
hey I know what the heck I'm talking
about you can then make a choice make a
decision whether you want to stay with
them or whether you can actually go
ahead and seek somebody else now when it
comes to psychotherapy without a doubt
it's still an exchange of service I know
that we are in a very unusual
relationship with our clients because it
is so personal it is so vulnerable it is
so deep at the same time it's
nonetheless still a service exchange
people pay me for 50 minutes of my time
and I pay back in
volume and the Valu that I bring is
trying to aim to give people as much
clarity as much guidance as possible so
it's still an exchange I'm bringing this
up because I want you to know that in
the end of the day you are a consumer in
the end of the day it is your money your
dollar token whether you're paying out
of pocket or whether you're paying with
insurance that insurance either you
bought for yourself or you have it
provided by company but you still have
to work for so I want you to remind
yourself that you are in a assertive
position of a consumer you can at any
time in therapy decide to leave you can
fire you therapist in fact if you
therapist has all these four flags and
they are really misrepresenting
themselves as a gender
therapist I would highly encourage for
you to fire them because I in my opinion
you would just waste that only money but
your time now having said that I also
know and realize that finding a gender
specialist specifically somebody as
deeply specialized in gender issues and
especially gender disor as I am is
incredibly difficult I can count on my
fingers how many psychologists I
personally know who Solly and I mean
Solly focus on gender dis the way that I
do and that's very very
unfortunate having said that it doesn't
mean that you can't find a therapist
that apart from focusing on other issues
also has somewhat remotely good
experience working with gender diverse
individuals that is more possible than
finding a gender specialist now will
that individual be as deeply
knowledgeable as for example I am
probably not and that's okay I don't
want you to stress out if feel like
gender specialist is somebody who is
absolutely deeply knowledgeable and yes
they should be right but if you don't
have access to them and you only have
access to somebody who is much more um I
would say generalized in a way but still
is benefiting you because you do have
somewhat good relevant experience that's
also very
valuable in the end of a day what's
really important is whether you find
that the therapist you're working with
is helping you the four flags that I
will be discussing are primarily aimed
at
helping you to steer away when you are
in therapy and you paying money you're
spending your time and you're scratching
your head and you're wondering why am I
not further along why are things not
working out uh why haven't I got
referral for a or C why is this taking
so long for them to figure things out
about
me if you are able if you're in that
position if you see any of those four
Flags then you're working with somebody
who is really misrepresenting themselves
and today we have a lot of of those
people because people jump on the band
wacon of being gender therapist it's
like everybody today's lgbtq friendly in
my opinion we all should be lgbtq
friendly that just means being a mindful
human being so what are those four flags
that I want you to watch out for last
thing I want to mention is if you are
working with therapist and they meet
those four Flags but they have been very
transparent with you from the Geto that
you're my first client I really don't
know much about and you really like
working with them you please do continue
work with them because you know if
they're being that transparent and you
already know what you're stepping into
and you make the decision based on that
knowledge that's also valuable things to
keep in mind red flag number one red
flag number one is you go to their
website and today I can't imagine meta
house provider not to have some form of
web representation right so you go to
their website and on
website they just have one single
mention lgbtq friendly or work with
transgender individuals or work with you
know gender
dysphoria and they have nothing else
nothing else the whole website maybe
they're blacking about depression or
anxiety but they have nothing else
mentioned about gender dysphoria
transgender folks non-binary Fox and get
the claim to be gender therapist or
gender specialist you go to any other
social media presence you go to their
Instagram if they have one you go to
their Facebook if they have one you go
to the linked at account if they have
one and again their Ser it's Cricket
right other than that one mention it's
Cricket crickets other than putting
rainbow FL on their website it is
cricket and yet they are there telling
you that they are knowledgeable this is
a big red flag all you have to do is
take a look at my website from the getco
you can see that the only thing I do are
working with strs and nonbinary adults
and I'm very skilled at gender Foria why
because there is a ton of blog posts on
the issue there's a ton of videos
there's a ton of content I have programs
you signed all around this topic nowhere
else is it mentioned that I work with
any other issues period now that's
obvious an exception you're looking at
somebody who is very specialized right
and I don't expect your gender therapist
to be that special but she should have
something something something to
Showcase that they know what they're
talking about and their social media
presence is going to be the first step
so that's number one no media presence
whatsoever other than little rainbow
flag here little trans FL here in my
opinion that is just not enough red flag
number
two when you sit down V you can tell
they have a very dragmatic archaic old
approach approach what is dogmatic Arc
cold approach it's an approach that
dates back to Thousand Years well really
not but I feel like it's thousand years
ago it's an approach when trans
individuals in order to get access to
care had to have a narrative had to
stick to a narrative particular
narrative that was so severe in order to
get permission for gender affirming care
and that narrative was something along
the lines of I really hate my body parts
I think 247 about getting myself free of
those body parts I feel trapped in a
wrong body I have severe
dysphoria it's borderline very extreme
something things that we know a lot of
people today don't feel and some still
do but a lot of people the this 4 is
going to range and for some of you it's
going to be pretty mild for some of you
it's going to be severe on some days for
some of you on old days but that old
archaic dogmatic narrative
now you can tell that a clinician or a
provider is not knowledgeable when they
stick to it why because that means that
they probably got a training or read a
book that is published again thousand
years ago that discusses this type of
approach that discusses other areas of
dogmatic approaches such as you have to
evaluate a patient for a long period of
time 6 months to a year to conclude the
have
dysphoria what the heck who has 6 months
to a year that's a long that's 6 months
to a year for you to suffer with gender
dysphoria while the provider who is not
knowledgeable has to jump through the
hoops and jump through their own anxiety
about whatever it is they're anxious
about in order to conclude that
something is that somebody who is
remotely knowledgeable should come to
conclusion relatively quickly unless you
have a very complicated case even then
should be no more than three months
that's for very complicated case for
everybody else it should be several
sessions 2 to three to make that
conclusion assessment of gender dor
should not take that long it takes me a
single session for most individuals two
maybe to three sessions for the rest
it's it's really not that challenging
once you know and had at least remotely
some experience with gender 4 so if
they're saying they need to see 6 to 12
months just to derive a diagnosis of
gener dysphoria that's an archaic tartic
way of doing and that mean that they
don't know what the heck they're looking
for so they're buying time for
themselves in order to figure things out
and that's not all right in my opinion
that is not only uh incredibly negligent
but it is just it's really brutal and
pardon my French up because it
puts a client in a position of enduring
suffering at expense of a therapist
ignorance and lack of experience
so that's how you know that's number two
is you're seeing those type of dogmatic
approaches to treatment another form of
dogmatic approach that archaic toward
treatment is going to be when they tell
you things such as um I want you to
present for 12 months in your desired
gender
until you know I can refer you for
hormones which by the way you don't even
need referral for hormones in pretty
much every single state this days so
keep that in mind and in those states
where you may need a referral you can
still get hormones without referral
online through a lot of online gender
clinics so if they're putting it to jump
through the Hoops which are unreasonable
nobody is going to suddenly present in
their gender I mean most people are not
going to without at least going through
some changes in hormones and feeling
more confident because you're putting
yourself out there that means your
potential risk of being misgendered is
increased that means you risk being
traumatized by our messed up culture is
also being increased it's unsafe it's
incredibly unsafe in a lot of States and
it's just not way to approach the
treatment so that's another um
indication that they're dealing this
dragmatic archaic
approach red flag number three you have
to educate them you bring up a
vocabulary you say for example you know
at one point I felt like EnV was
something that resonated with me and
they look at you completely blank
blinking their eyes trying to figure out
how quickly session can end so they can
Google NB and you can tell they don't
know what the heck you're talking about
when you bring up desire for any kind of
gender affirming care gender affirming
shers they don't know what the heck
you're talking about when you bring up
that you're considering between ponal
pulse Rion applies to or you considering
between for example a penal inversion
they don't know the difference when you
bring up that you already had vaginaly
and you're struggling with vaginal
stenosis they don't know what the heck
you're going you're talking about that's
a red flag when you have to sit there
and you're talking about your context
your life and they don't even know
Basics basic knowledge about what kind
of car is out there uh what kind of
vocab out there even a very rudimentary
uh language in regards to variety of
gender identities out there that's
another red flag I had somebody who came
to work with me and they said and it
this is kill me they said that at one
point they shared a particular book with
their therapist because their therapist
was like a knowledge and there was one
session they had when therapist was
reading out of the book to the
client this is wildly wildly messed up
and wildly
inappropriate we are trained to be
competent in our fields and we're
ethically prohibited by prct practicing
outside of our
competency every therapist for Li insure
had to learn this we had it was drilled
into our hats that if you have zero
experience you and if you're the only
provider in geographic area and you have
a patient with gender just 40 for
example and you have zero experience yes
you can treat the patient but you have
to tell them you have zero experience
and you have to seek consultation and
guidance and support outside of your
competen if you somebody else who has
that
experience if you are especially in a
state where there's other people who are
competent and you're not competent that
you marketing yourself as such that's a
big no no so when you have to educate
your therapist that's an indication that
the lack competence that's red flag
number three final red flag number
four it comes a time when you need one
of those still required evaluation
letters in order to get insurance
approval or maybe you surgeon wants it
even though you're paying out of a
pocket to get gender affirming surgery
and all of a sudden your so-called
gender therapist has no idea how to do
it how to write one and they refer you
out to somebody else like myself maybe I
had people come to me and they say oh
yeah my gender therapist referred you
referred me to you so that you can
evaluate me for my gender affirming
surgery coming up and I look at them
thinking your G gender therapist refer
to to me for a letter they should know
how to write it is 101
Basics that's another big red flag
number
four they should not they should not
only know how to do that that should be
part of your treatment plan that should
be part of the services they provide I
also have a ppef and you're already
paying a therapist for their time and
then they charge you addition money to
write you that letter because to be
honest it's not like they're doing
additional assessment it's just a letter
it's not much and they shouldn't charge
your money in my opinion I mean this is
kind of like controversial opinion every
terapist has the right to set their own
value to decide what they do in my
opinion that just why it's a single one
pager letter I have a template for that
letter you put in information you put in
certain characteristics after working
this client for some time because you
already know they qualify and that is it
it doesn't take much of my time so
that's another red flag number four so
these are four very important red flags
to watch out for especially if you're
working with somebody that does in fact
Market themselves as a gender therapist
or gender specialist and they have one
or is they have all of these four Flags
if you have an option to go and work
with somebody else please do so even if
you have an option to go and work with
somebody else who is not knowledgeable
at all but is transparent with you about
that that honesty is there
willingness to work with you it's their
willingness to at least perhaps even
reach out to somebody and consult and
learn versus somebody who is
masquerading behind a label but they
can't deliver and they're wasting your
time and they're wasting your mind so
remember those four red flxs number one
they have no online or media
representation whatsoever number two
they're using the dogmatic old 10,000
year old approach number three you're
sitting there educating them teaching
them and number four that don't know how
to write your gender affirming
evaluation letter comment below if you
had experience seeing somebody who
claims to be a gender therapist or a
specialist and you were deeply
disappointed what would it like for you
what was a telling sign it really sucks
when it does happen it shouldn't happen
um I also understand the reality of life
is every profession has bad apples but I
really wish it didn't had to have bad
apples especially when it comes to
mental health something that is so
important to all of us and something
that a lot of us take at a big quality
for ourselves so comment below share
what your experience has been and I will
see you all next time goodbye
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