Abstract
Appreciating and counseling the patient with Gender Identity Disorder is not always an easy task. Each counselor must comprehend the in depth ideas to these individuals who need assistance with their mental health needs and their individual diagnostic needs. Considering the etiologies, the differential diagnoses, and the treatment strategies available not only to the client but for the therapist as well to help the client in their needs is an understanding that every therapist should learn and know.
Introduction
With the emergence of numerous psychological concerns in therapy over the years, one may suggest that counseling the transgender individual, or a client diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder, is even more of a challenge than perhaps any other concern in this field of study. In order to understand the transgender person and their mental health requests, the therapist should not only concern themselves with the various matters that could arise in the counseling sessions, but they should conduct an in-depth assessment of who the transgendered individual is as a human being and what other possible concerns they might have relating to their identity.
With the evolution of medical science, it is no wonder that the field of psychology is seeing a rise of individuals needing the assistance of professionals in determining if complete gender reassignment surgery is appropriate for them or if a less radical procedure (e.g. only hormone treatment, psychotherapy treatment alone) would be in order if one is called for at all.
With the amount of time given to complete this undertaking, some therapists may perhaps find it complexing to recognize the nature of Gender Identity Disorder, or Transgenderism in main stream thought, in a short period of time. With an assortment of issues that can present themselves throughout the path of an individual’s transition, the inexperienced therapist may find it easier to refer the client to a more qualified...