Gender Identity Counselling in London

• Are you struggling because the way you feel inside doesn’t match the way you look?
• Maybe you don’t know where you fit on the gender spectrum? 
• Is it possible to be sure of your gender, but stressed and anxious from navigating a world that constantly questions it? 

Gender identity and mental health

We can struggle to be at ease around others if we don’t know who we are, or make life decisions that aren’t right for us. As a result, loneliness, depression, and anxiety can result. 

In addition, when our identity issue involves gender, it can feel even more complicated. Our efforts to just be ourselves are sometimes met with rejection and discrimination, regardless of recent advances in gender education. 

Benefits of gender identity counselling

The following are the benefits of working with a mental health practitioner who specializes in gender support:

1. Feel free to share your thoughts, feelings, worries, and fears in a non-judgmental, confidential environment. 
2. Coping strategies for stressful situations, such as discrimination.
3. Learning how to communicate effectively with family, friends, colleagues and partners in difficult situations.
4. In case you choose to undergo medical interventions, support will be available when you are coming out, transitioning, and transitioning. 
5. Anxiety, depression, addictions, and disordered eating are all mental health issues linked together.
6. It is a place to discuss private things like sex, relationship problems, body worries, and gender assignment surgery, as well as non-gender issues. 

Gender identity support at Expert Therapy London

Expert Therapy connects you with highly experienced, warm, and welcoming mental health professionals who see you as an individual, not a label. Therapists are happy to use terms and descriptors that you feel comfortable with, and tailor their work to suit your needs.

Should you need additional support, we have psychiatrists on our team as well as psychologists and psychotherapists. 

Gender identity issues

At birth, your genitals determine your sex. Alternatively, gender refers to how you should act based on the expectations your society and culture place on each gender. 

Not everyone is ‘binary’, fitting the idea that there are only two genders, and that being born with female genitals makes you a ‘woman’, and being born with male genitals makes you a ‘man’. For example, you might identify as ‘transgender’ if you have female breasts and genitals but identify with the male gender. You might also identify as gender fluid, gender diverse, non-binary, or pansexual if you feel you are neither one or the other. There are some people who do not feel gender and use the term ‘agender’ instead. 

Intersex and gender confusion

Gender identity is also affected by sex, which isn’t always binary. In some cases, children grow up knowing they are intersex, which means they have mixed sexual and/or reproductive anatomy or they have chromosomes that don’t belong to either sex. Often, people find out during adolescence, which is already a confusing time in their lives. 

What is gender dysphoria? 

You suffer from gender dysphoria when you have trouble understanding your gender identity and are unable to cope with it. 

There is no mental health disorder associated with it. In fact, it’s a reasonable response to a chaotic world that’s far from accepting and fair about gender. 

 It is important to take gender dysphoria seriously since it can lead to other mental health problems, including:  

• addiction
• anger issues 
• anxiety and stress
• depression
• eating disorders 
• low self-esteem
• self-harm 
• suicidal thinking.

What is a session of gender identity counselling like? 

In your first session, your therapist will ask about your life history, your mental health struggles, and your goals.

As you talk about what you are struggling with, your therapist will listen carefully, then ask you just the right questions to help you figure out how you want to move forward. You may engage in therapeutic exercises to help you combat negative thinking and self-sabotaging behaviors, or you may look at past issues that influence your present. 

Ready to be you?  

Are you ready to better understand yourself and feel more comfortable with who you are? Are you looking for a better way to deal with life’s challenges? 

Contact one of our highly experienced gender counsellors in the City of London, Harley therapy or complete our online booking form. It would be our pleasure to assist you. 

Further reading on gender identity

• Gender Explorers (2020) by Juno Roche.
• Transgender History (2017) by Susan Stryker.
• Trans Teen Survival Guide (2018) by Owl and Fox Fisher.
• Trans Body, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community (2014) edited by Laura Erickson Schroth. 
• Beyond the Gender Binary (2020) by Alok Vaid Menon.
• What it’s Like to be Intersex, video featuring Roshaante Andersen.
• What is gender dysphoria? article.  

 Frequently asked questions

What is the best therapy for gender dysphoria?

Initially, talking therapy is the best treatment for gender dysphoria, as it allows you to explore your feelings. Your therapist can help you decide whether hormone treatment or surgery is right for you.

Does psychotherapy help with gender dysphoria?

By exploring your ideas and feelings about gender and your discomfort, psychotherapy can help with gender dysphoria. If you decide to transition, it can also help you prepare.

Is gender identity therapy available in London?

Both NHS and private practices offer gender identity therapy in London. To avoid lengthy NHS waiting lists, many people with gender dysphoria prefer private therapists.

Can a regular therapist diagnose gender dysphoria?

A general therapist can diagnose gender dysphoria, but patients often know they have it already. It is best to seek out a therapist who specializes in gender dysphoria if you want the best results.