In June of 2011, my boss and I drove out to Ft. Hood, one of the biggest army bases in the country, to give a presentation to the base’s department of social work on working with gay and lesbian clients. Obama had just ended the don’t ask don’t tell policy, and our presentation was to my knowledge the first training in the country given to military clinicians about how to support and work with newly out service members. This was one of my proudest moments. I worked for years at an LGBTQ-oriented counseling center where most of my clients were part of the queer community. I have provided couples counseling to gay and lesbian couples, couples in which one partner is transitioning, and couples in non-traditional relationships.
I am particularly interested in working with transgender and non-binary individuals. I facilitated a trans women’s therapy group for three years and have done dozens of assessments for the purpose of writing letters in support of name and gender marker change, beginning hormone therapy, or gender confirming surgery. I work with clients just beginning to explore their gender dysphoria and clients many years into their transition. I am happy to write letters for transgender clients after one assessment session. It is my intention to be a support, not a barrier or a gate-keeper. I also love working with clients through the process of coming out and beginning transition. It’s an amazing opportunity to be part of someone’s journey to finally express their true self.