Gender Identity In Counseling

When it comes to gender identity it is the feeling and how a person self-identifies as. This is different from a persons’ gender or identity that a person has now. For instance, if a person is a female, that person feels and knows that they are a male. When it comes to sexuality it is in reference to what gender of person you are attracted to. Even though gender identity is different from sexuality there is a misunderstanding between the two. As a counselor dealing with both of these spectrums it is a common experience to face in this day and age.

Gender Identity

As discussed before when it comes to gender identity is when a person self-identifies as either a female, male, both, and or neither from their opposite gender (Hays & Erford, p.

When it comes to gender identity a counselor should always ask the clients perspective on the values of gender, assumptions that they might have as well as, any biases that they have about gender (Hays & Erford, p. 108). Knowing and understanding this can determine if the person has specific role that gender plays in their life. This is in reference to the notion of masculine and famine, this is important because this will determine the tone or the way that the counselor proceeds in the sessions.

Understanding gender identity in a counseling sessions. If a counselor has any assumptions about the roles of gender it can cause tensions between the client and counselor, and the client will seek help elsewhere. For instance, if the counselor is under the assumption that a female is supposed to act in a certain way as of: not raising her voice, should show no signs of anger, the way they are supposed to dress, or how they are supposed to sit, this can cause the client to feel as if they are being judged. The same goes for when counseling a male (Hays & Erford, p. 109). When it comes to the psychological aspect of gender identity not all persons will and wat to go through any treatments or surgeries to become the opposite sex. Furthermore, a counselor should never assume or categorize gender identity as a disorder. When placing labels on a client can and sometimes

When faced with this in some instances a doctor will refer a patient to seek counseling before the treatment to being. To endure that this is what the client wants, it is up to the counselor not to give the client a yes or no. It is better for the counselor to listen and observe the client and ensure the client that this transformation is what they really want. As mentioned before if a client is coming to a counselor to become a different gender, most of the time their healthcare provider will not pay for the treatments, surgeries, or counseling sessions that they need (Hays & Erford, p. 116). However, when a person has already gone through the treatments and procedures of becoming a different gender the counseling process will be