Family Dynamics and Assessments in Gender-Affirming Care: Collaborative Strategies for Mental Health Professionals

Collaborative Gender Affirming Care With Families

CE’s Available ($30) with Full Access.

The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Course Summary

Many clinicians report challenges when working with gender-diverse youth and their families, particularly when caregivers find it difficult to understand or accept their child’s gender diversity. This difficulty also extends to working with couples or relationships where one partner is navigating a gender journey. In light of the increasing legislative restrictions on gender-affirming care, safe spaces, and participation in athletics, coupled with the pervasive challenges in accessing appropriate care, it is crucial for mental health professionals to possess a thorough understanding of these dynamics to offer effective support and evaluations when called for.

This webinar is designed to equip providers who work with and assess gender-diverse clients—across all ages—with the essential skills and knowledge to apply a gender-affirmative, collaborative approach to evaluations and treatment that is inclusive of the family system. Utilizing a developmental model, this training will cover how to effectively engage with transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive children, adolescents, young adults, and their families. Participants will learn to navigate these complex interactions with an acute awareness of the multiple identities and unique experiences each family system may bring to their gender journey.

We’re going to talk about…

  • Family Dynamics in Gender-Affirming Care: We will explore the unique family/couple dynamics when assessing gender-diverse individuals, including common challenges faced by caregivers/partners in accepting and understanding their loved one’s gender. 
  • Legislative Landscape and Accessing Care: Participants will gain insights into the current legislative landscape affecting gender-affirming care and learn strategies for overcoming barriers to accessing appropriate care for gender-diverse clients. 
  • Developmental Model for Engaging Families: We will introduce a developmental model for effectively engaging with families of transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive individuals of all ages, emphasizing the importance of considering the unique experiences and identities within each family system. 
  • Cultivating Collaborative Approach to Assessment: This session will focus on enhancing participants’ skills in building collaborative therapeutic approaches and assessments with gender-diverse clients and their families.

Learning Objectives

  • Describe two factors influencing families seeking gender-affirming care, that once addressed, help them to engage and more effectively support their gender-diverse loved ones. 
  • List two strategies for navigating legislative challenges to increase access to gender-affirming care for their clients. 
  • Describe the negative impact on assessment and treatment when family members are in different developmental phases on their gender journey 
  • Apply a collaborative gender-affirmative approach to evaluations and treatment that fosters acceptance and family engagement.

Why is this important?

Evidence strongly indicates that gender-diverse individuals experience significantly better health outcomes when supported by their families. This support is critical not only for youth but also for adults, underscoring the essential role of family involvement in the therapeutic process. It is imperative, therefore, that mental health care providers engage families in a manner that is both supportive and healing.

Engaging families requires a deeper understanding of the critical factors influencing family dynamics in gender-affirming care and developing strategies to foster acceptance and support within families, thereby improving the mental health outcomes for gender-diverse individuals and their families. This webinar not only aims to build competence but also to enhance collaborative therapeutic relationships that honor and support the gender diversity of your clients within a framework of professional empathy and informed care.

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You must pass the Post-Training Test to get a Certificate.
Once you finish the Evaluation and Test, the option for the Certificate download will be available in your dashboard.

Course Curriculum

Shawn V Giammattei, PhD

For those who don’t know me, I am a licensed psychologist in Northern California, a member of the transgender community, and a WPATH certified mentor who is dedicated to helping therapists provide gender affirmative care to transgender, nonbinary, gender-expansive (trans) clients and their families across the life span, and build gender-affirming practices while navigating the quickly changing world of transgender health so that your clients and their families can build stronger connections, live with authenticity, and receive the care they need. 

I have no commercial disclosures or conflicts of interest to report.

The Gender Health Training Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
Gender Health Training Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Basic Access

$10.00

CE's NOT included


  • Video (Webinar Recording)

Full Access (2 CEs)

$30.00

CE's INCLUDED


  • Video (Webinar Recording)
  • Webinar Slides
  • Post-webinar Quiz (required to get CE's)
  • Evaluation (required to get CE's)
  • Certificate (2 CE's)
  • Community Discussion