Therapists

We look at them as Gate Keepers; they control our path to our hormones. Sometimes we get therapist who know nothing about us and we have to train them. Sometimes we get a therapist who follows the Standard of Care like a bible. Sometimes we get a therapist who believe that we can be “Cured”. And once in a while we find a great therapist, the Albany Times Union has an article about such therapists…

Therapists help transgender patients with psychological issues
Times Union
By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer
December 4, 2011

"Are you a man or a woman?"

It seems like a simple question, with an obvious and clear-cut answer.

But for psychotherapists Moonhawk River Stone, of Schenectady, and Arlene Istar Lev, of Albany, complicated responses are at the core of their private practices in transgender care.

The way a person answers the question, ranging from certitude to confusion, holds the key to treatment options.

Both therapists view gender with a wider lens than a binary classification of either male or female. Rather than dealing with black and white distinctions, they work with clients who express themselves in many shades of gray when it comes to gender.
[…]
"The problem is that even a majority of social workers and therapists know nothing about this issue," Lev said. "We're just beginning to see more therapists seeking out specialized training, which is still hard to find."

I have known Hawk for over six years, we first met at the “Targeted State” conference in Albany that was given by the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. I have never met Lev, but I have read her book and also I used it as a reference in many of my term papers.