Queer and trans clients often seek out psychotherapists because they are struggling with stigma—that which they experience from society, family, and peers, and that which they experience internally. This stigma, also called minority stress, has a significant impact on the mental health of queer and trans people, who are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidality.
In this workshop, participants will explore and unpack an underlying cause of this minority stress—the gender binary. The gender binary is a social construct that encompasses biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and attraction. It is a powerful discourse that operates in the background of our daily lives and is at the source of sexual and gender-based prejudice. Through experiential activities, small and large group discussion, and role plays, participants will learn to identify the gender binary in their own lives and to have powerful conversations that deconstruct and dismantle the impact of the binary on the lives of their clients.