Gender Affirming Therapy: A Guide to What Transgender and Non-Binary Clients Can Teach Us

<b><u>Winner of the American Psychological Association’s Division 44 — the Society for the Psychological Study of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity — Distinguished Book Award, 2025.</u></b><b><i><b><i><br /></i></b><br />“I welcome this book because it reminds therapists to engage deeply </i></b><b><i>in reflexive interrogation of clinical privilege, and to centre the </i></b><b><i>narratives and wisdom of the trans and non-binary people we serve.”</i></b><br />Matthew Mills (he, him), President of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists, Lead Consultant Speech and Language Therapist<br /><b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>“This book is compulsory reading for anyone, personally and/or </i></b><b><i>professionally, seeking to support trans and non-binary individuals and </i></b><b><i>community groups.”</i></b><br />Dr Paul Simpson (he, him), Lecturer in Sociology, University of Manchester, UK and extensively published in gender and sexuality in later life.<br /><br /><b><i>"This book is a welcome and much needed resource on Gender Affirmative Therapy to guide therapists and practitioners to ensure best clinical practices when working with gender.”</i></b><br />Christiane Sanderson, Independent Counsellor, Author and Educator, London, UK<br /><br />Increasing numbers of people openly identify as transgender and non-binary and questions of gender identity and diversity are coming up more frequently in psychological therapy. <i>Gender Affirming Therapy</i> takes you on a journey to<br />discover the inner lives and challenges of gender-diverse people, seeking to spark compassion and build confidence in working with these communities.<br /><br />Assuming no prior knowledge and accessibly written, this book aims to bridge the gap to ensure that more mental health professionals are better prepared to support gender-diverse clients in a way that is effective, ethical and affirmative.<br /><br /><b>Key features of this book include:</b><br /><b>• ‘In their Own Words’ sections containing interviews directly from transgender and non-binary individuals</b><br /><b>• Key point summary and reflection boxes</b><br /><b>• Coverage of new advancements in the field</b><br /><br />Drawing on research and clinical experience, <i>Gender Affirming Therapy </i>has been devised as an open conversation between colleagues which centres transgender and non-binary individuals as the experts and at the very heart of the book.<br /><br /><b>Laura Scarrone Bonhomme (she/her),</b> is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who specialises in Gender, Sexual, and Relationship Diversity. She provides assessment, psychotherapy, and training to other professionals through www.affirm.lgbt.<br /><br /><b>Skye Davies (she/they)</b> is a Peer Support Worker at TransPlus, a gender dysphoria service. They also work as a Volunteer Counsellor at Metro, helping LGBTQ+ people.<br /><br /><b>Dr Michael Beattie (he/him) </b>is a Counselling Psychologist in private practice with research interests in the psychology of men and masculinities. In addition to psychotherapy, Michael provides training in Gender, Sexual, and Relationship Diversity through www.affirm.lgbt.<br /><br />