The Gender Journey - Find Out Where You Are On Your Journey

WHERE ARE YOU ON THE TRANSFAMILY GENDER JOURNEY?

Find Out Where You Are On Your Journey And Understand The Path Ahead

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The GENDER JOURNEY for PARENTS follows a path that usually starts with a lot of fear and confusion. As you work your way through this first phase, which may involve some denial and bargaining, you find yourself squarely faced with the reality that your child is dealing with significant gender stuff and needs your help to navigate it. If in this process you realize your child is trans, non-binary, or gender expansive, you quickly set out on a quest to find accurate information about what to do to help your child and to figure out if this is even something you need to deal with…

HOW CAN THE JOURNEY HELP YOU?

Recognizing that you are on your own journey, one that is happening in parallel with your child’s, will help you move from confusion, doubt and fear to clarity, confidence, and resilience. You will have the energy needed to provide your kid with the support, acceptance, and love they need.

A Path For Parents From Confusion, Fear, And Doubt
To Clarity And Confidence

We at the TransFamily Alliance want to welcome you to the TransFamily Gender Journey. No doubt, the fact that you are here means that you’re already somewhere on this path and hoping to learn more about what this journey involves, and what your next steps will likely be in helping your transgender, nonbinary, or gender expansive child live a happy, healthy, well-adjusted life. We know how important finding accurate information is when supporting your kids as well as finding the support you need on this journey. We hope you find this booklet helpful wherever you find yourself on your own TransFamily Gender Journey.

Our understanding of the TransFamily Gender Journey is based on over 20 years’ experience collaborating with caregivers raising transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive kids to navigate their own journeys while helping their kids and their families live authentic lives.

The Journey is made up of six phases and presented in the order they commonly occur, but we have learned that this is not a linear journey, but a circular one. As one mom expressed, she sometimes felt she “could experience all six phases in a single day!”

As you move forward, you’ll see that it’s common to circle back to a certain phase when needed or even to skip one and come back at a later time. That’s all part of the journey, but over time you’ll eventually land in the later phases.

Each phase has a specific set of tasks and milestones that are important to navigate on your journey. The TransFamily journey often involves an unlearning and relearning process for everyone and it’s ok not to know everything at once.

Finding authenticity as a gendered being for those not aligned with their assigned sex can have many layers that may not be apparent in the beginning. While it may seem confusing at first, your child really is the expert on their gender and as parents and caregivers we have to learn how to listen and understand our kids’ messages so we can help them find authenticity.

It’s important to know that you are not alone on this journey, nor should you be. The most healing thing you can do is surround yourself with a team of gender experts and a supportive community of other parents already on this journey.

A Quick Overview of The
TransFamily Gender Journey

The TransFamily Gender Journey never ends.

Each phase has particular challenges and rewards. The most important gift is experiencing your kid’s happiness and watching them come into their own, which is often the result of you taking action by affirming your kid’s authentic sense of identity. The result for your kid will be improved physical and mental health, greater success in academics and career, and a better quality of life. When you learn to see the journey as a growing opportunity for your kid and for yourself, the lessons learned will bring about a feeling of increased resilience and pride.

So, let’s dive into where you landed on your own Gender Journey and explore what steps you may need to take in this phase to move you to the next phase and to understand what the overall process may look like for you and your family.

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSFAMILY GENDER JOURNEY

Click the button below, take the free quiz and find out where you are on your journey!

Shawn V. Giammattei, PhD

Dr. Giammattei is a clinical family psychologist in private practice in Northern CA specializing in couple and family therapy with people across the lifespan, with a particular focus on transgender and gender expansive youth and their families, as well as relationships where one or more partners are trans. He is also a researcher, educator, and a professor teaching online graduate and post-graduate courses in LGBT psychology and family systems. He is the founder/director of the Gender Health Training Institute, and serves on the board of local and national family therapy organizations, is active member of Mind the Gap, is a WPATH GEI SOC7 Certified Mentor, and the author of several articles and book chapters on gender, sexuality, and family work. Read more […]

About the TransFamily Alliance

The TransFamily Alliance is a community for parents like you, raising transgender, non-binary, or gender expansive kids. The TransFamily Alliance was co-created by parents of trans youth and Dr. Shawn V. Giammattei, a clinical family psychologist and gender specialist. They set out to create THE best place for parents and caregivers to get accurate information, resources, and the support they need to raise healthy, well adjusted, and happy transgender & gender-expansive kids. Read more […]

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