Gender Identity

Trusted Professionals Helping Patients Understand Gender Identity Disorder

The psychology and technology that support more fluid gender identity rules have evolved significantly in recent years. While those with gender identity disorder have always struggled to feel at home in their own bodies, the resources are now more readily available for people to find comfort and peace with their gender and sexual identity, particularly when it is non-conforming to a strict binary notion of “male” or “female.”

Let’s dive into the support Wellington Counseling Group can offer patients struggling with their gender identity.

Understanding Gender Identity Disorder

The idea that there are just men and women on this earth and that you are simply as you physically appear is increasingly understood by professionals as antiquated and potentially harmful to all of us in its strict observance. Those with gender identity disorder (GID) or gender dysphoria feel that their gender does not match their biological sex. And this pressing feeling that your internal self does not align with your external self can lead to intense distress, anxiety, and depression. Often this feeling is so all encompassing that it interferes with your everyday life, including school, work, and relationships.

Adults who are experiencing gender identity disorder often report:

  • Feelings of certainty that their true gender doesn’t align with their body
  • Disgust with their genitals that may lead to an avoidance of showering or even changing clothes, or anything that puts them into contact with their sexual anatomy
  • A strong desire to be rid of their assigned sex traits

Those with GID may often dress in the typical fashion of their preferred gender. They may also seek out and prefer friendships with those of that gender.

Therapy To Support Gender Identity Disorder

The history of gender identity disorder has gone through extensive evolution as we begin to better understand the psychology and biology behind the misalignment of sex and gender. Gender nonconforming is one of the more inclusive terms used to describe patients who struggle with their gender identity. The concept of gender nonconforming applies to both patients who are experiencing gender identity disorder and people who cannot identify with the male or female gender.

How We Support Gender Identity Disorder At WCG

It’s important to recognize that the purpose of “treating” gender identity disorder is not to change how a person feels about their gender. Rather, the goal of therapy for those struggling with their gender identity is to help them cope with and manage the feelings of distress that often accompany misaligned gender and sex.

In many cases, treating gender identity disorder is a multi-pronged approach. At Wellington Counseling Group, we can support the psychological and mental health aspects of GID. There’s also the physical elements of gender identity disorder. Many patients will take steps that help bring their physical appearance more in line with the gender that they identify with. In some cases, this is as simple as wardrobe or hairstyle changes. In other cases, hormone therapy and surgery are in order. Our counselors can partner with the other professionals that a patient with gender identity disorder is working with to help craft a seamless treatment experience that supports the patient through every step.

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