Centering Trans Joy:
A Coalition of Care Workers for Youth & Families
INVITING IN acknowledges that it is important for everyone to do the work required to demonstrate compassion and to increase competence such that people feel comfortable sharing important parts of themselves when they so choose.
- National Black Justice Coalition, "Inviting In Toolkit”
As service and support providers for young people and families, how are we doing the work to ensure we are deserving of the gift that is being "invited in?"
In a world with increasingly visible hostility toward trans and non-binary young people and their loved ones, how do we define what it means to be “trans-affirming” as mental health professionals? In what ways are we challenging cis-normativity, and breaking down the gender binary…and in what ways are we perpetuating harm, despite our best intentions?
How can we hold ourselves and one another accountable to this necessary work - the vulnerable, ego-challenging, lifelong work of unlearning?
We can start by building community.
We welcome ALL types of care workers - those that work in gender affirming care, and ESPECIALLY allied professionals who DON'T work in gender affirming care AND are committed to affirming & inclusive work with youth and families in any context or setting!!
The Centering Trans Joy Coalition is the product of my professional + personal experiences providing education, training, and consultation to therapists and community support providers of all kinds, sharing space with allies committed to “doing the work” and seeking support and community, and experiences of harm unintentionally perpetuated by good therapists & people. We are all imperfect, and (un)learning must be an intentional, active, and lifelong process.
The creation of this Coalition is both an act of resistance, and an act of hope. An invitation, and a call to action.
Join me in a movement to set down our good intentions, and pick up the work of building trans-centered spaces of empowerment for young people and their families, together.
To Join the Coalition:
Step 1: The Individual Work
The Individual work:
Required Reading:
Read or listen to A Clinician's guide to Gender-Affirming Care by Sand C. Chang, PhD, Anneliese A. Singh, PhD, LPC, & lore m. dickey, PhD; with foreword by Mira Krishnan, PhD, ABPP.
Complete the critical self-reflective exercises included in the book along the way.
To purchase: Visit a queer-owned bookstore, or purchase online: https://bookshop.org/lists/centering-trans-joy-a-coalition-of-therapists-for-youth-families (Purchases from this link support our mutual aid fund, which helps provide copies of these books to Disabled, BIPOC/PGM, and/or TGNC providers at no-cost when requested).
Recommended Further Learning:
The Dig: Trans Children with Jules Gill-Peterson, PhD, Author of Histories of the Transgender Child, Associate Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.
Step 2: The Community Work
The Community Work:
Attend a Community Accountability Session (1 hour)
These 1 hour, virtual sessions are offered to folks interested in joining the coalition at no-cost. They are community-led, meaning that there is no instruction or training that will be provided - the purpose is to build community for support and accountability in this meaningful, lifelong work. A member-facilitator will provide guidance for individual and small group reflection and discussion, and all are expected to contribute and participate in ways that are accessible to them.
Folks will leave these sessions with the tools to develop a personal plan for :
continued listening and learning
connection and contribution to community-led action/advocacy
peer support to help with following through!
(Or if you’d like the tools to host a local-to-you Community Accountability Session in-person, let us know on the application form!)
Step 3: Make The Commitment
Joining the coalition is a pledge to on-going learning and action.
This includes a commitment to continue the individual work by:
routinely challenging yourself to depathologize experiences of trans and non-binary youth and families
routinely pursuing opportunities for continued education that center trans and non-binary young people as experts of their own experience, particularly BIPOC/PGM and/or Disabled young people
routinely engaging in critical self-reflection and remaining open to learning differently.
This includes a commitment to continue the community work by:
actively challenging one another to build greater community competence and accountability
actively engaging in advocacy in ways that are accessible to you
actively increasing accessibility of affirming services using the resources available to you.
Members of the coalition may opt to be included in our directory.
The member directory (coming soon!) offers a list of possible providers for youth and families searching for support, and helps providers connect with one another to develop on-going resource sharing, accountability check-ins, and general support in this work.
Make the pledge & join the coalition.
Together let’s move away from a model of pathology and othering where a small number of care workers “specialize in trans issues,” and move toward a model of inclusion where affirming the experiences of gender expansive families is a priority for ALL providers who provide services and support to youth & families.
Commonly Asked Questions
Is Centering Trans Joy: A Coalition of Care Workers for Youth & Families right for me?
Q: “I support trans and non-binary youth, but I don’t work in gender affirming care. I specialize in working with youth & families experiencing…
mental illness, grief and loss, divorce or separation, housing instability, alcohol and substance use, trauma, educational challenges…”
A: Yes! If you support youth & families in any capacity, this coalition is for you! Not only do trans & non-binary young people exist in every part of society, cisgender young people have trans & non-binary siblings, parents, grandparents, and other loved ones, and all constellations of family are deserving of inclusive and affirming spaces everywhere!
We welcome service and support providers in private practice, community, in-home, inpatient, outpatient, non-profit, & school settings - as well as future service and support providers in training. LCPs, LPCs, LCSWs, OTs, SLPs, PTs, Residents & Supervisees - join us!!
Q: “I’ve already read this book, and I have a lot of training and/or experience in working with trans and non-binary youth…is this coalition also for me?”
A: Also yes! The point of doing this work in community is that we all have a lifetime’s worth of learning and work to do, and we each have unique perspectives to offer and wisdom to learn from one another. There is always more to learn, and more to unpack.
Additional Resources for Continued (Un)Learning:
Podcasts:
Continuing Education Offerings:
Q: Does this coalition offer case consultation, trainings, or a certification program?
A: No. This coalition offers framework for building individual and community accountability - guidance and support in the on-going self-assessment and lifelong learning that is required to offer services that are inclusive and affirming for trans and non-binary youth and their loved ones.
Organizations like TPATH, WPATH, USPATH and others provide guidance, trainings, and opportunities for building expertise in the specifics of gender affirming care - and there are many amazing trans-led organizations and individual providers out there offering all kinds of educational and consultative opportunities that may be important to your personal and professional learning journeys.
This coalition calls on people in all places within their careers and learning journeys to resist complacency, and offers opportunities to make connections and build community.
Q: What is the cost to join?
A: This coalition is open to all on the basis of a self-selected contribution.
There is no fee required to join - folks interested in joining should engage in self-reflection of privilege and access to resources in determining their level of contribution when completing the application form. Member contributions fund the direct costs of the existence of this coalition and a mutual aid fund for Disabled, BIPOC/PGM, + TGNC providers to receive copies of the book at no cost.
An important part of increasing access to affirming care for youth and families is minimizing barriers for continuing education for providers. This coalition aims to lessen the impacts of capitalism and gatekeeping by tapping into the collective wisdom, wealth, and resources of community.
