Gender Identity & Faith
Clinical
Postures, Tools, and Case Studies
For
Client-Centered Care
By
Mark A. Yarhouse &
Julia A.
Sadusky
Reviewed by
Geoffrey W. Sutton
Gender
Identity & Faith is not for everyone. Yarhouse and Sadusky have written a guidebook for
mental health professionals who need a resource to help patients and their
families who are seeking assistance with two identity issues—gender identity
and religious identity. The authors are not focused on changing gender
identity. Instead, they provide readers with specific ideas to help their patients
explore their perceived conflicts between gender and religious identity.
Although
the authors use the words religious and conventionally religious,
the book is focused on Christian patients who perceive a conflict between two
salient components of their self-identity. Most Americans are religious and
most Americans identify as Christian. It is generally known that some
Christians are morally opposed to people seeking medical interventions to
change their physical appearance to match their gender identity. This societal conflict
is not likely to end soon. Thus, clinicians may expect to see patients seeking
assistance in navigating these potential sources of conflict for years to come.
Of course, it is not just the patients who require assistance. Fortunately, the
authors offer suggestions to help clinicians work with family members.
Research note.
"Three-quarters of U.S. Protestants believe gender is determined by sex at birth."
Early on,
the authors present a three-part framework (three lenses) for understanding
perceptions of gender identities: Integrity, Disability, and Diversity. Integrity
refers to a religious perspective which includes the traditional teaching of
distinctive male and female differences with sex-linked gender roles. The
disability or departure lens views people experiencing a disconnect between
their birth sex and their gender identity as a disability or departure from cultural
norms. A diversity perspective accepts gender differences and rejects attempts
to impose limits on people who identify their gender in nontraditional ways.
Gender
Identity & Faith is divided into four parts. First, the authors provide an
overview with examples of the two identity issues and make recommendations for
assessment. Their approach is called GRIT—an initialism for Gender and Religious
Identity Therapy. Part 2 focuses on children. Readers learn of the importance
of patience and considerations approaching puberty, which include thinking
about puberty blockers. The authors note the importance of providing the child
patient and parents with a supportive structure (scaffolding).
Notable quote
In Part 3,
the authors focus on the treatment of adolescents and adults. This is a
substantial section consisting of chapters 6-14. I think their elaboration on
how to use narrative therapy has the potential to be helpful for many patients.
Clinicians will find examples of scripts and storylines along with coping
strategies. There are helpful questions and worksheets designed to foster
exploration.
Notable quote
Late-onset cases can be particularly challenging because parents often have
no point of reference for the gender-identity questions their teen is raising.
This can lead to tremendous skepticism on the part of some parents about any
claims of gender dysphoria. (p. 37)
The final
part includes three case studies, which will enable readers to get a sense of
how their approach may be helpful with different patients.
Comments
As a
psychologist, I appreciate the authors reminder that a broad-based patient assessment
should include such common conditions as depression and anxiety. And remember
that a transgender person may experience depression or anxiety for reasons other
than their gender identity. The authors also remind clinicians to be careful
with the diagnosis of gender dysphoria. I also appreciate their kind and
compassionate stance. Their empathy for their patients comes through—it really
is a client-centered approach.
When
reading any book, other ideas come to mind. One thought I had was the powerful struggles
some Christians experience over various matters—including their gender identity
or the gender identity of a child or relative. These spiritual struggles can be
overwhelming at times and may be a primary treatment concern. Anxiety, anger,
and depression may be associated with spiritual struggles. Clinicians may
consider the value of narrative therapy in treating spiritual struggles as a
separate but intersecting path in their life journey. Spiritual struggles may
include inner conflicts as well as conflicts with clergy and congregants and
such struggles may be associated with a variety of issues that do not include
gender identity. Spiritual struggles may lead to a separation from their church
or support network. Inner conflicts can lead to a loss of faith and a
concomitant loss of an important component of self-identity. Similar to the advice of Yarhouse and Sadusky regarding patient exploration of gender identity, clinicians should also be alert to spiritual abuse, spiritual harassment, and microaggressions as they seek to create a safe place to explore their spiritual identity.
I recommend
Gender Identity & Faith and consider it an important addition
to a clinician’s reference shelf. I would expect it to be useful in programs preparing
mental health providers.
References
Yarhouse,
M.A. & Sadusky, J. A. (2022). Gender identity & faith: Clinical
postures, tools, and case studies for client-centered care. Downers Grove,
IL: Intervarsity On AMAZON
Cite this review
Sutton, G.
W. (2022, November 17). Gender Identity & Faith—A Review. Interdisciplinary
Journal of Book Reviews. Retrieved from
A Related Resource for Thinking about Sexuality, Morality, and
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