PSY 2C 08: BRAIN, BODY AND
BEHAVIOUR
UNIT IV: REGULATORY BEHAVIOUR
TOPIC:
PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
AND GENDER DIVERSITY
,Scope, understanding research or practice in the psychology of sexual
orientation and gender identity, critical looking at the psychological
practice with existing corpus in psychological knowledge.
Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people are those who
have a gender identity that is not fully aligned with their sex assigned at
birth.
In 2009, the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on
Gender Identity and Gender Variance (TFGIGV) survey found that less
than 30% of psychologist and graduate student participants reported
familiarity with issues that TGNC people experience (APA TFGIGV,
2009). Psychologists and other mental health professionals who have
limited training and experience in TGNC-affirmative care may cause
harm to TGNC people. The significant level of societal stigma and
discrimination that TGNC people face, the associated mental health
consequences, and psychologists’ lack of familiarity with trans-
affirmative care led the APA Task Force to recommend that
psychological practice guidelines be developed to help psychologists
maximize the effectiveness of services offered and avoid harm when
working with TGNC people and their families.
,Purpose
The purpose of the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with
Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People is to assist
psychologists in the provision of culturally competent, developmentally
appropriate, and trans-affirmative psychological practice with TGNC
people. Trans-affirmative practice is the provision of care that is
respectful, aware, and supportive of the identities and life experiences of
TGNC people .The Guidelines include a set of definitions for readers
who may be less familiar with language used when discussing gender
identity and TGNC populations. Distinct from TGNC, the term
“cisgender” is used to refer to people whose sex assigned at birth is
aligned with their gender identity. Issues of gender identity are often
conflated with issues of gender expression or sexual orientation,
psychological practice with the TGNC population warrants the
acquisition of specific knowledge about concerns unique to TGNC
people that are not addressed by other practice guidelines(APA, 2012). It
is important to note that these Guidelines are not intended to address
some of the conflicts that cisgender people may experience due to
societal expectations regarding gender roles , nor are they intended to
address intersex people.
, Users
The intended audience for these Guidelines includes psychologists
who provide clinical care, conduct research, or provide education
or training.
Given that gender identity issues can arise at any stage in a TGNC
person’s life , clinicians can encounter a TGNC person in practice
or have a client’s presenting problem evolve into an issue related
to gender identity and gender expression.
Researchers, educators, and trainers will benefit from use of these
Guidelines to inform their work, even when not specifically
focused on TGNC populations.
Psychologists who focus on TGNC populations in their clinical
practice, research, or educational and training activities will also
benefit from the use of these Guidelines.
BEHAVIOUR
UNIT IV: REGULATORY BEHAVIOUR
TOPIC:
PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
AND GENDER DIVERSITY
,Scope, understanding research or practice in the psychology of sexual
orientation and gender identity, critical looking at the psychological
practice with existing corpus in psychological knowledge.
Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people are those who
have a gender identity that is not fully aligned with their sex assigned at
birth.
In 2009, the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on
Gender Identity and Gender Variance (TFGIGV) survey found that less
than 30% of psychologist and graduate student participants reported
familiarity with issues that TGNC people experience (APA TFGIGV,
2009). Psychologists and other mental health professionals who have
limited training and experience in TGNC-affirmative care may cause
harm to TGNC people. The significant level of societal stigma and
discrimination that TGNC people face, the associated mental health
consequences, and psychologists’ lack of familiarity with trans-
affirmative care led the APA Task Force to recommend that
psychological practice guidelines be developed to help psychologists
maximize the effectiveness of services offered and avoid harm when
working with TGNC people and their families.
,Purpose
The purpose of the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with
Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People is to assist
psychologists in the provision of culturally competent, developmentally
appropriate, and trans-affirmative psychological practice with TGNC
people. Trans-affirmative practice is the provision of care that is
respectful, aware, and supportive of the identities and life experiences of
TGNC people .The Guidelines include a set of definitions for readers
who may be less familiar with language used when discussing gender
identity and TGNC populations. Distinct from TGNC, the term
“cisgender” is used to refer to people whose sex assigned at birth is
aligned with their gender identity. Issues of gender identity are often
conflated with issues of gender expression or sexual orientation,
psychological practice with the TGNC population warrants the
acquisition of specific knowledge about concerns unique to TGNC
people that are not addressed by other practice guidelines(APA, 2012). It
is important to note that these Guidelines are not intended to address
some of the conflicts that cisgender people may experience due to
societal expectations regarding gender roles , nor are they intended to
address intersex people.
, Users
The intended audience for these Guidelines includes psychologists
who provide clinical care, conduct research, or provide education
or training.
Given that gender identity issues can arise at any stage in a TGNC
person’s life , clinicians can encounter a TGNC person in practice
or have a client’s presenting problem evolve into an issue related
to gender identity and gender expression.
Researchers, educators, and trainers will benefit from use of these
Guidelines to inform their work, even when not specifically
focused on TGNC populations.
Psychologists who focus on TGNC populations in their clinical
practice, research, or educational and training activities will also
benefit from the use of these Guidelines.
