Webinar: Providing Trans-Affirming Care to Two-Spirit, Trans, and Nonbinary

Are you seeking to improve your basic knowledge, awareness, and skills when conducting clinical work with Two-Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary (2STNB) clients?

In this 60-minute recorded webinar, Stephanie Budge, Ph.D. (she/her), and Elliot Tebbe, Ph.D. (he/him), provide an overview of the key tenets of trans-affirmative therapy. They also share tips that can help you understand and overcome potential biases in the therapeutic relationship with 2STNB clients. Keep reading for a preview of the five areas of discussion.

Use affirming language. 

What is “cisgender”? Or “nonbinary”? Or “Two-Spirit”? Part of providing trans-affirming care is understanding appropriate language that is used today. In this webinar, you’ll learn common terms and how to use them in a clinical care setting.

Deep dive into gender.

Gender is a multi-faceted and complex part of someone’s identity. In this webinar, Stephanie and Elliot also provide an overview of several major components of gender, including gender in culture, gender expression, gender roles, and the gender binary. 

Understand barriers to care.

Providing trans-affirmative care begins before a client’s first appointment. Barriers to care are often rooted in common errors. Errors can be caused by a number of factors, including a lack of practice, an overly cautious mindset, shame, countertransference, or assumptions in sameness if you also identify as 2STNB. Learn more about the solutions to these errors in this webinar.

Rectify missteps.
In this webinar, you’ll review the results of two qualitative studies conducted with 2STNB individuals reporting on their experiences with mental health providers. From these two studies, researchers identified seven missteps by mental health providers when caring for these individuals. Stephanie and Elliot spend time discussing these concerns and how to rectify them.

Navigate the gatekeeper role.

You may be asked for a letter of recommendation for a client seeking hormones or surgery for medically-affirming care. In this webinar, Stephanie and Elliot go over best practices to help assist your client during this vulnerable time. 

About the presenters
Stephanie Budge, Ph.D. (she/her) is a licensed psychologist and an associate professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and the Director of the Advancing Health Equity and Diversity program in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her clinical work and research focus on improving medical and psychotherapy treatments (and access to care) for Two-Spirit, trans, and nonbinary (2STNB) clients. She currently provides pro-bono therapy and letters for gender-affirming care to 2STNB youth and adults at the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic at UW-Madison.

Co-presenter Elliot Tebbe, Ph.D. (he/him), is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at UW-Madison and a Licensed Psychologist. A counseling psychologist by training, Elliot's research and clinical work have addressed critical mental health care needs and improved access to competent and affirming health care for trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people and communities.

If you’re a SonderMind provider, access a recording of the webinar here. 

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