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Facilitating Transition Among Transgender Clients: Components of Effective Clinical Practice

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Abstract

Although transgender clients seek services in a number of settings in which social workers practice, there is a dearth of scholarly literature available to guide effective clinical practice with this population. When transgender issues are included in the practice literature, the trend has been to consolidate the needs of transgender clients with those of the larger lesbian, gay, and bisexual community or to simply focus on increasing the comfort level of clinicians working with this population. This is concerning because transgender individuals represent a vulnerable subgroup of clients with unique and specific treatment needs related to the transition experience. Social workers play a critical role; they may serve transgender clients and their families in many ways: as advocate, educator, diagnostician, and individual, couples or family therapist. The purpose of this article is to identify several key components of trans-specific clinical practice and the role of social workers in supporting and facilitating client transition. Specifically, the authors will discuss: (a) relevant definitions and terminology, (b) emerging issues related to depathologizing the needs and experiences of transgender individuals, (c) the critical elements of trans-specific clinical assessment, and (d) clinical advocacy associated with the medical legal and social aspects of the transition process. Specific recommendations for trans-affirmative social work practice will be offered.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Private Practitioner, Florida Board Certified Sex Therapist, 755 Meadows Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33486, USA

    Aiden Collazo

  2. School of Social Work, Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL, 33161-6695, USA

    Ashley Austin

  3. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Shelley L. Craig

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  1. Aiden Collazo
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  2. Ashley Austin
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  3. Shelley L. Craig
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Correspondence to Aiden Collazo.

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Collazo, A., Austin, A. & Craig, S.L. Facilitating Transition Among Transgender Clients: Components of Effective Clinical Practice. Clin Soc Work J 41, 228–237 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-013-0436-3

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