Gender Identity and Faith

Description

Helping people navigate gender identity questions today is complex and often polarized work. For clients and families who are also informed by their faith, some mental health approaches raise more questions than answers. Clinicians need a client-centered, open-ended approach that makes room for gender exploration while respecting religious identity.

Gender Identity and Faith carves out clinical space for mental health professionals to help people who wish to take seriously their gender identity, their religious identity, and the relationship between the two. Drawing from their extensive research and experience with clients, Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky provide a timely, practical resource for practitioners.

This book

Emphasizes respect for clients' journeys, without a single fixed outcome, toward congruence between their gender identity and faith

Describes effective clinical postures, assessment and therapeutic tools, and numerous case studies

Covers needs and characteristics of children, youth, and adult clients

Includes worksheets and prompts for clients and family members

"Integrating personhood and values is no easy feat, especially in our current cultural landscape," the authors write. Those navigating this intersection need clinicians who seek to understand their unique context and journey alongside them with empathy. This book points the way.