To become a member of the Gender Exploratory Therapy Association, please read the GETA Membership Statement below, and fill out the form beneath it with the required information.
Your information will not be displayed publicly without your permission. We will update you when the referral & networking functionality is added to the website, and allow you to choose whether to be included in them.
Membership statement
This Association is open to practitioners, trainees, educators, and researchers in the therapy professions who are in agreement with the values of the Association as outlined below.
- We believe people who are experiencing distress regarding gender or biological sex deserve a safe place to receive therapeutic support. We support the practice of ethical, developmentally appropriate psychotherapy with these clients.
- We reject therapies that use coercive techniques to achieve a specific outcome regarding sexual orientation or gender identity. We reject treatments based on the assumption that a change in sexual orientation or gender identity should occur.
- We respect client autonomy, and therefore also respect the right of clients to use therapy to explore the factors that underlie their various identities. We do not impose our own beliefs, values, opinions, or goals on clients.
- We do not prioritize any one school of thought or approach to therapy. Being “Gender Exploratory” means that we position ourselves within a framework of well-established therapeutic practice :
- We recognize that behavior, feelings, and beliefs—including those surrounding gender identity— are influenced by factors of which we are not fully conscious. Thus there is value in exploring these unconscious motivations.
- To explore unconscious factors is not inherently to pathologize or be suspicious of the behaviors/feelings/beliefs that are affected, though pathological factors may be present. Increased self-understanding is valuable in and of itself.
- We reject the conflation of exploration of gender identity with “conversion therapy.”
- We reject the characterization of Gender Exploratory therapy as fringe, bigoted, or transphobic. Therapists who provide support to clients who wish to deepen their own self-understanding should not feel the need to hide this fact. We are simply applying longstanding, evidence-based, ethical principles of therapy to a specific issue (gender identity) that has become politicized.
- We reject a shallow understanding of the “Affirmative” model for therapy with clients who are gender questioning or experiencing gender dysphoria. Affirmation is necessary for good therapy in the sense that therapists must not impose upon clients a view of their gender identity as inherently pathological. However, affirmation is not sufficient for good therapy insofar as a robustly “affirmative” model must also acknowledge:
- Gender and sexuality are complex, develop over time, and are influenced by many factors (biological, psychological, social, etc.).
- There are risks and unknowns that come with medicalization of gender identity (e.g., treatment with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgery).
- A sense of personal identity is not static, especially among young people. Identity exploration is a normal part of adolescent development.
- Because young people are in a process of development and growth with regard to self-understanding and gender identity, it is important to be cautious about treating anything as permanent, making irreversible changes, or recommending treatments that carry significant risks or unknowns.
- Because young people lack the faculties to fully comprehend the long-term impact of their decisions, their preferred outcome for treatment is important to consider, but cannot be treated as paramount.
- There is growing evidence that gender identity can be influenced by socially contagious factors.
- The consolidation of a same-sex sexual orientation is a process that often takes years. Youth going through such a process are often gender nonconforming and may experience distress as they come to terms with their sexual orientation. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth may need help and support to accept themselves as they are.
- Clients are entitled to a realistic discussion about biology. Clients are also entitled to an exploration of the psychological, medical, and emotional risks and benefits of medicalized transition.
The aim of this network is to create a supportive forum for members to network, learn, communicate, and collaborate about these issues. The network will also function as a resource for those who are gender questioning or experiencing gender dysphoria and their families to learn and to find support from thoughtful therapists.
If you become a member, GETA will:
- Add you to its mailing list to keep you updated on GETA developments and alert you to any new posts.
- Provide opportunities for you to contribute to collaborative projects.
- Provide opportunities to connect and consult with other members locally and online.
- Allow you to choose whether to be included on a referral list for prospective clients seeking help with issues related to gender identity.