Ethics of Delaying Transition for Transgender and Gender Creative Youth (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical psychologists, Counselors, Nurses, and LMFTs

Course By: Michael Parent, PhD

Content By: Ashley, F. (2019). Thinking an ethics of gender exploration: Against delaying transition for transgender and gender creative youth. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 223-236. doi: 10.1177/1359104519836462

Course Description: The author proposes that the ethics of gender transition for transgender and gender creative youth focus on the exploration of gender. The author defines gender dysphoria, gender euphoria, and creative transfiguration as forms of relationship with the body. The author further makes a case against pathologizing the exploration of gender, and in particular avoiding pathologizing exploration of gender for patients with a history of trauma or mental illness. The author also contends that gender exploration before, during, and after transition processes is legitimate, reducing the emphasis that needs to be placed on gender identity prior to beginning transition procedures. The author applies this model of ethical thinking to social transition, puberty blockers, and hormone replacement. Finally, the author reviews the role of clinicians in facilitating gender exploration.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define and distinguish between gender dysphoria, gender euphoria, and creative transfiguration
2. Define gender exploration and its location in time relative to gender transition
3. Identify ways that clinicians can facilitate gender exploration

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Thinking an ethics of gender exploration: Against delaying transition for transgender and gender creative youth.
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives.
• Review the application of exploration of gender to the ethics of gender transition for transgender and gender-creative youth.
• Complete the post-test questions. Recall that answers should be based on the referenced article.
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to understand the ethics of gender exploration and gender transition.

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e. gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference:

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: