Public health systems and services include primary health care, education, child welfare, and more. These care systems support children and their families by providing for their mental, social, physical, and emotional health. Trans youth need transgender therapy and gender-affirming care to be whole. Here are three things to know about trans youth and how beneficial gender-affirming care can be.
Life-Saving Care
Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth are at an elevated risk of depression, anxiety, suicide, and physical violence. Research indicates that transgender therapy can improve mental health outcomes. Supportive, gender-affirming care can help with social gender transition, hormone treatment, and more. In short, transgender therapy helps save the lives of trans youth.
Remove Barriers to Health Care
Too often, trans youth don’t consult healthcare professionals because they have had negative experiences in the past. Transgender therapy provides support, care, and compassion that empowers trans youth to take an active role in their health. Gender-affirming care allows you to voice concerns if something doesn’t seem right. You can ask questions about your health or anything you are unsure about.
Affirming Care
Therapies offer patient-centered social affirmation, like supporting a person’s choice to change their name, pronouns, or otherwise express their gender through clothing and hairstyles. You can explore options such as facial feminization, vaginoplasty, breast augmentation, and more. Providers can support patients by affirming their desires.
It’s vital for trans youth to connect to a gender-affirming therapist who specializes in working with non-binary and transgender clients.
To learn more about transgender therapy or to connect with a gender-affirming therapist, contact the International Center for Transgender Care.
