Psychology
Transgendered  Soul
This maybe your first stop or attempt at discovering some answers to your deepest and inner most feelings of self.  
Your IDENTITY.  Who am I?  What am I?  Why do I have these feelings?  Are their others like me?  Or maybe you have
seen some behavior in a loved one that maybe incongruent with their outward gender appearance and you are looking
for answers to these questions.

I have walked this difficult path of self discovery.  I would not have survived if it was not for my friends, many of whom
are also on this same journey and from the help of those who have gone before me.  But the biggest support and help
I received was from my therapist Jo Ann  Simmons Walker.  This is not a shameless plug for her but a sincere thank
you from the bottom of my heart and a note to others who are looking that this is a very important decision you are
about to make.  I needed professional help.  I saw many therapists before I was fortunate enough to find Jo Ann.

I hope through my experience and the experience from my friend who put this web site together that we can help you
find a qualified Therapist quickly and more easily than if you had to start from scratch.

FIRST  
You need to be comfortable with your therapist and be comfortable enough to develop a high level of trust.  If you do
not feel this happening with in the first couple of visits you may want to consider changing.  Follow your heart and your
gut feelings. Do not be afraid to ask questions.

SECOND
Most Therapists follow the Harry Benjamin Standards Of Care.  This is increasingly becoming more controversial.  
Some view this as a gate keeper technique used to grant some and not others permission to legally change their birth
sex.  It's intent rather is to protect first and foremost you! It is to protect you the client from making a possibly wrong life
altering decision and secondly to protect the practitioner from litigation.

LASTLY
A therapist will help you if you so desire work out other area's of your life.  I wanted to make sure that the feelings I was
having were not caused by any childhood experience or trauma and that what I was feeling was in fact Gender
Dysphoria.  

You can find much more information on this subject through out this web-site.  Please use it often and refer other's if
you find it useful.  

Thank You

Renee'

Helpful Links and Documents
LAGC Gender Identity Questionnaire by LAGC - pdf

Support groups in California - pdf
(Please contact us to add resources to this list.)

List of Therapists in California -pdf
(Please contact us to add resources to this list.)

Gender Identity Disorder - article online
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Gender%20dysphoria

Counselling And Mental Health Care Of Transgender Adults And Loved Ones - pdf
(Scroll down to see the link.)
http://www.vch.ca/transhealth/resources/library/

Recommended Guidelines for Transgender Care - online
http://www.firelily.com/gender/gianna/book.abstract.html


Anne Vitale Ph.D. Website    This is a very good/informative Web-Site
Anne is a transgendered psychologist, who treats transgendered clients.  She has written a number of papers for Therapist and the
Client.  See lists of subjects below.  Once on her site, click on the suggested links to see the documents listed below the link.  
http://www.avitale.com/MenuPage.html

Click on "Essay"s
A Brief Description of the Problem
Gender Dysphoria: Treatment Limits and Options
The Gender Variant Phenomenon--A Developmental Review
Gender Variant Expression: An Historical Account
Current Thinking Regarding the Etiology of Gender Dysphoria
Client/Therapist Conflict: How the conflict started and some thoughts on how to resolve it.

Click on "Gender Identity Disorder Treatment Plan"
Gender Identity Disorder Treatment Plan

Click on "T-Notes"
#1 Dances with Therapists or, hard time getting to that first appointment.
#2 The Intake Appointment
#3 A brief description of the Hormone Evaluation Period
#4 Unlived Lives.
#5 Guilt and Shame: The Unfortunate Twins of Gender Dysphoria.
#6 Mid-Life Awakening. Some thoughts about the recent increase in clients at mid-life presenting with gender issues.
#7 Sexism in the Male-To-Female Transsexual.
#8 Relationships: The Bane and the Promise
#9 Primary and Secondary Transsexualism-myths and Facts
#10 Emergence-a danger filled, critical time in the transition process.
#11 Couples Therapy---When the male partner is a crossdresser.
#12 Transsexualism: An Expanded Definition
#13 Potential Therapeutic Errors
Psychological Information, Links and More
Welcome!  The links and resources below should help you and your therapist understand your condition better.
If you are a therapist, looking into the subject of Transsexual/Transgender transition and treatment information,
you will find the resources and links below useful also
.
Just A Quick Note From Me To You.
Thank you for visiting the Transgendered Soul International Website!!

The Transgendered Soul (TGS)  gives only general information relating to transition for individuals with gender disphoria or Intersexed condition.  We are not responsible for
what the individual does with that information.  We do not suggest any results from the information provided here.  Our purpose is to offer resources and encouragement to
individuals suffering with these conditions in hopes of connecting them with resources useful to them and all aspects of their transition.  The TGS will be held harmless from
any results an individual gets from a provider or information located on this site.   TGS does not engage in the practice of medicine or psychology, is not a medical or
psychological authority, and does not claim medical or psychiatric knowledge. TGS recommends that you consult your own physician and psychologist regarding any course of  
treatment or medication.  There are links to other web sites in various places through out our web site. TGS is not responsible for the content of other websites reached from
links on our website.  Use of this site and its information constitutes an agreement to these terms.