Centring the expertise of trans and nonbinary people : training therapists about gender affirmation and inclusivity through case studies

Following a century of oppressive mental health practices toward trans and nonbinary (trans) people, most mental health professionals are ill-equipped to support trans people. Excellent trans health training exists for physicians and nurses, but there are no available resources that teach mental health professionals about gender inclusivity and affirmation. Our study used participatory methods through standpoint theory to develop educational clinical case studies about trans mental health. The research question asked: what kind of approaches to mental health practice can be learned by centring trans people’s expertise? Our trans-led research team developed ten case studies, selected the best three case studies, and recruited 19 more trans adults via social media to provide expert feedback about the three case studies. These trans experts shared their feedback through a Qualtrics survey and promoted the importance of (1) teaching mental health professionals questions, not (just) solutions and (2) reconciling the tension of centring trans priorities in a cisnormative discipline.