Welcome

As you settle into the space, please think about the following question

What values and beliefs guide your practice with clients?

and write your ideas on the newsprint provided.

Supporting Our Transgender

Clients:Re-Evaluating Best Practices

Sponsored by:RU12? Community Center

Vermonters Ending Transgender Oppression (VETO)

Vermont Diversity Health Project

UVM Social Work Department

Introductions

When you introduce yourself, please include your:–Name–Pronouns–Agency–What you hope to leave with today

OverviewIntentions• Create space to question all aspects

of practice• Develop a lens for critical analysis

of practice with transgender clients• Provide an opportunity to network

with other providers• Inspire interest in further learning

and community building

Use of the word transgender• Intended as an umbrella term to

refer to non-binary gender identities. Not all transgender clients will use this language, seek transition, or wish to discuss their gender identity in therapy

OverviewAgenda• Guiding Principles• Affinity Group Exercise• Experiential Exercise• Small Group Discussion• Break• Large Group Discussion• Small Group Exercise• Closing

Parking Lot• Resources regarding topics/questions

placed in the parking lot will be emailed to you

Guiding Principles

• Keep an open mind• One person talks at a time• Step up, Step back• Critique ideas, not people• Assume best intentions and

educate each other• Protect the safety of the space• Take care of yourself• Manage your electronics• Honor the clock• Have fun• Challenge by choice• Safety to pass• There are no stupid questions,

ask• Ask permission before providing

feedback

Affinity Groups

1. Think about the functions and responsibilities of the prompted role in the context of the therapeutic relationship.

2. Discuss the prompt with your group.

3. Then, as a group, reflect your collective ideas and discussion onto paper using words and/or drawings.

Sticker Exercise

Without speaking, organize

yourselves into groups. Use

the stickers on your foreheads

as a guide.

Sticker Exercise

• What was it like to have a one-color dot?

• What was it like to have a two-color dot?

• How did you find your own group?

• How did you help others find their group?

• How might this experience be a metaphor for transgender people who access mental health services?

What values and beliefs guide your

practice with transgender

clients?Explore this question in your group, and write down some of the ideas that guide how you engage in practice with transgender clients and clients with other non-binary gender identities.

Discussion

• What do you notice is similar between the two lists?

• What do you notice is different between the two lists?

• What might account for the differences?

• How are the differences useful in supporting transgender clients?

• How are the differences problematic in supporting transgender clients?

Critique of Existing Guidelines• Explore the guidelines provided to

your group• Using the lists and discussion as a

guide, work with your group to identify aspects of the guidelines that are empowering to transgender clients, as well as aspects that may be problematic

• Highlight empowering language in one color, and problematic language in another