Best Practices for Teachers and Providers: A Cross Systems Training to Support Gender-Variant Youth

Abstract

Transgender youth are at increased risk for low self-esteem, depression, suicide, substance abuse, school problems, family rejection and discord, running away, homelessness, and prostitution. It is important for social workers to understand the barriers transgender individuals face when accessing healthcare, to provide context for the clinical experience, and because mental health care providers play a significant gatekeeping role for this population. According to Section 6.04 of the NASW Social Work Cultural Standards, social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for diversity, and social workers should promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, and promote policies that safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people. It is in this context that this cross-systems training for teachers, medical providers, and mental health providers was created - to support and affirm gender-variant youth and their families, through increased system capacity for gender-variant youth, improved environmental cues that demonstrate safe space for gender-variant related services; and reduced barriers to accessing health care services through education to 1) better meet patients' needs; and 2) improve their healthcare experience. Copyright (C) 2013 by Kathyrn Kemp Chociej Written for Gender Diversity Best Practices for Teachers and Providers: A Cross Systems Training to Support Gender-Variant Youth First Edition All Rights Reserved. Printed in the USA Except as otherwise specifically noted, the information in this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, from Gender Diversity, provided that due diligence is exercised in ensuring the accuracy of the information reproduced; that Gender Diversity is identified as the source institution; and that the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the information reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of, Gender Diversity. For permission to reproduce the information in this publication for commercial redistribution, please email info@genderdiversity.org or kchociej@uw.edu.