Trans and Gender Nonconforming (TGNC) Clients' Experiences of Therapy and Their Gender Identity Related to TGNC-Focused Media

Abstract

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) communities experience elevated levels of mental health distress than do their cisgender counterparts (Anzani et al., 2019; Parr & Howe, 2019). TGNC identities have also become increasingly visible in popular media over the last decade (Gillig et al., 2018). Though representation of TGNC narratives and experiences has grown, therapists continue to feel unequipped to work with their TGNC clients (O’Hara et al., 2013), and a third of TGNC clients have reported negative experiences in therapy (Anzani et al., 2019). The current study considers how mainstream representation impacts TGNC clients’ experiences of therapy and of their gender identity, asking the research question, What are TGNC clients’ experiences of therapy and their gender identity as it relates to media that focuses on TGNC identities? Four participants were interviewed from a feminist standpoint and hermeneutic phenomenological framework. Six themes and 17 subthemes were identified, with participants speaking to their relationships with media within and outside of therapy, affirmative and non-affirmative moments experienced in therapy and their impacts, and their view towards the future of TGNC mental healthcare and the role of media in this care. Participants’ testimony can inform work towards more gender-affirming therapy practices, including understanding the salience of media for TGNC communities and the ways it can inform therapeutic processes and relationships.