Emily,
I am coming up on my 4th Anniversary at TW. I have studied Brain Sex and Gender for far longer. Ultimately, I made the same decision that you have, to become a Gender Therapist (or as I prefer to call it, a Gender Guide).
I can tell you that the BEST way to understand Transgender/Transsexual issues and people is to learn most of it on the Internet. There you will see differing interpretations. Many disagree with others, usually on minor ponts but sometimes in what they believe the causes are. The best education, however, can be found right here at TW. Here you can immerse yourself in a community where you will find people from all along the Transgender spectrum. I consider myself fairly inter-gendered, with definite male and female parts. You will encounter psychological, biological, traditional and spiritual interpretations of our selves. Here we discuss issues as varied as religious beliefs, what we call ourselves and even whether transsexual should have one or two S's in it.
But don't limit yourself to the Forums. Come into the chat rooms often and get to know People in our community as they talk about their interests and everyday problems. Some of us are in deep in the back of the closet. Some of us are marching en femme in Washington, DC for political change Some of us are guys getting sexual satisfaction from brief periods of dressing. Some of us never felt comfortable dressed en homme and have thrown out our entire male wardrobe. Some of us don't care why we are what we are. Some of us want to know every tick of the brain that made us what we are. Some of us came here seeking knowledge and understanding of ourselves. Most of us stay for the Community and acceptance and ultimately friendships. You will find we are as varied as any group of people.The only real way to understand us and what WE need, not what the books say we need, is to know us.
I have found one other thing here. I found the understanding and confidence to know that I am finally aware of what the books will never teach me about helping my brothers and sisters. It will make you a far, far better gender therapist than you could be without it. By the time you get your license you will already be ready to work with the TG/TS community and will only need to sharpen your therapist skills....IF you have the talent. Psychotherapy is also an art. They can teach you to "paint by numbers" but the best therapists can work without lines on the canvas. They FEEL; they have an instinct; they are not mechanical. I know I will have to be a better gender therapist because I will go into a room and see a person, not a diagnosis. I've already had it happen a number of times when the staff was at a loss to interact with a TS patient. I was able to walk in and help the woman I saw instead of the "man in a dress" that they saw or to help the man I saw instead of the "butch dyke" that they saw.
I recommend reading a Thomas Szasz book, like THE MYTH OF MENTAL ILLNESS and maybe IDEOLOGY AND INSANITY, early in your education. The first book changed my entire professional career in the psych field. Sometimes it is better when the client does not have a label.
For a very nice introduction to terminology (words that mean a different thing to any two people in our Community) and categories of people, check out
http://reneereyes.com. Just remember that you will meet many people who don't fit into a nice box. The reason is that we are not M or F. We are not even one spectrum (although it's a useful tool). We are individuals, each with many spectrums or on-off switches and we don't fit stereotypes.
Stay and learn. Meet us and make friends. You won't be able to be a bad gender therapist if you can do that.
And a warm welcome to the Sorority and growing Fraternity and our Friends at TW.
Hi Emily
to make a start in your dream of becoming a therapist in the 'TG' field it would help if you had a basic idea of all the people lurking under the TG umbrella and how few of them actually want 'operations' - its really only transsexuals who want operations.
have a read of www.mtftransition.com which will tell you exactly what is what.
