Families in Transition: Parenting Gender Diverse Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults is a compilation of clinically oriented articles, research, and case material authored by mental health and medical experts, both nationally and internationally known, as well as first-person narratives written by parents and families, exploring the complexities faced by parents and caretakers attending to the needs of their children in a largely hostile world. The professional articles are positioned side by side with the voices of the parents themselves—each complementing the other—together adding up to a richly complex, original tapestry. While most books on this subject highlight the experiences of the gender diverse child and adolescent, parents’ perspectives are placed front and center. Those raising these children and adolescents have unique struggles and personal processes as caregivers and advocates. Making complex social and medical decisions in a society that is hostile and polarized only complicates the picture. This book highlights their rarely heard voices and gives insight to therapists and physicians on how to support all members of the family, helping them grow and heal during what is often a challenging time. Families in Transition: -Challenges the ways we think about cultural norms and how those impact our clinical work; -Explores a parent’s desire for their child to live authentically alongside a desire to protect them; -Highlights how the attitudes and behaviors of extended relatives impact the gender nonconforming child and their caretakers; -Presents a historical overview contrasting the reparative and the affirmative models of treatment; -Illustrates how difficult treatment can be when a patient is reticent to disclose their gender identity to their parents or when parents either have little information or are in denial; -Offers strategies on how best to advocate for a child in a school setting; -Outlines best practices for the care of transgender youth. This text is designed for mental health professionals—clinicians, educators, and researchers; medical providers; parents and caretakers of gender diverse children, adolescents, and young adults; and is suitable for graduate and doctoral level coursework in a range of subject areas, including gender, sexuality, and family studies.

Table of Contents:
A Note on the Evolution of Language Foreword, by Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT Ackerman Institute for the Family New York City Introduction, by Andrew R. Gottlieb, PhD, LCSW Introduction, by Arlene I. Lev, LCSW-R, CASAC, CST Part 1: Gender Nonconforming Children and Trans Youth: What You Didn’t Expect When Expecting 1. It Takes a Gender Creative Parent, by Diane Ehrensaft, PhD 2. Helping Parents Face Their Fears, by Irwin Krieger, LCSW 3. On the (L)edge of Transition: The Reyes Family, by Lisette Lahana, LCSW Part 2: Theory and Research: What Should Parents Be Aware Of? 4. The “80% Desistance” Dictum: Is It Science?, by Kelley Winters, PhD 5. All in the Family: How Extended Family Relationships Are Influenced by Children’s Gender Diverse and Transgender Identities, by Katherine A. Kuvalanka, PhD, Molly Gardner, MA, and Cat Munroe, PhD 6. More Than the Sum of Your Parts: A Theoretical Perspective, by Andreas Neumann Mascis, PhD Part 3: Clinical Issues: What Are the Parents’ Concerns and Challenges Regarding Cultural Diversity, Clinical Models, and Psychiatric Treatment? 7. Walking a Tightrope: A Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Perspective on the Spectrum of Affirmation and Pathologization with Gender Diverse Youth, by Scott Leibowitz, MD 8. Chinese Canadian Families with Transgender Youth, by Nena Wang, MA, and Wallace Wong, PsyD, R Psych 9. Approaches to the Treatment of Gender Diverse Children and Transgender Youth, by Arlene I. Lev, LCSW-R, CASAC, CST 10. Micah and His Protectors, by Lisette Lahana, LCSW Part 4: Identity Transformation: How Do Children’s Gender Identity/Gender Nonconforming Behaviors Shift Parents’ Perceptions of Their Child and of Themselves as Parents? 11. Transforming the Identity of Parents of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Children, by Margaret Nichols, PhD, and Stephanie Sasso, PsyD 12. My Own Transition, by Elena Moser, LCSW Part 5: Medical Concerns: How Do Puberty Suppression and/or Hormonal Considerations Affect Parents? 13. But Doc, Is It Safe? Effects of Pubertal Suppression and Trans Hormone Therapy for Youth, by Irene N. Sills, MD 14. Discussing Aspects of Medical Transition with Parents of Young Transgender People: A Psychotherapist’s Perspective, by Damien W. Riggs, PhD, FAPS 15. Family-Oriented Medical Care for Gender Nonconforming Children, Adolescents, and Their Families, by Carolyn Wolf-Gould, MD 16. When My Son Became My Daughter, by C.V.R., PhD Part 6: Family Functioning: What Is the Effect of Gender Atypical Behavior on Parental Relationships, Extended Family, and Siblings? 17. Supporting Siblings through Transition: A Child-Centered, Transfeminist Therapeutic Approach, by Shannon L. Sennott, LICSW, and Davis Chandler, LICSW 18. “I Was Hoping It Would Be a Phase”: The Challenges Parents Face Raising a Gender Nonconforming Child, by Elizabeth Anne Riley, PhD 19. The Experiences of Parents of Transgender Individuals Who Transition in Adulthood, by Katherine Rachlin, PhD 20. Transition in Four Voices, by Barbara Rio-Glick, MSW, Shelley Rio-Glick, MSW, Sonya Rio-Glick, and AJ Rio-Glick Part 7: Educational Concerns: How Do Parents Manage and Advocate for Gender Nonconforming Children and Transition-Related Issues in a School Setting? 21. Social Transitioning for Gender Dysphoric Children: A Practical Guide for Parents, by Wallace Wong, PsyD, R Psych, and Sabrina C. H. Chang, MA 22. Please Stop Calling My Daughter “He”: Advocating for Teens and Preteens in the School Setting, by Deborah Coolhart, PhD, LMFT Part 8: Support Groups: What Is the Parent’s Experience of Available Support Groups and Advocacy Organizations? 23. The Experience of Parent Facilitators in a PFLAG Support Group for Parents of Transgender Youth and Young Adults, by Melissa MacNish, MA, LMHC 24. Peer Support for Parents of Gender Nonconforming Children: Benefits and Risks, by Rex Butt, PhD 25. Camp Aranu’tiq: Notes from the First Camp for Transgender and Gender Variant Youth, by Nick M. Teich, LCSW, PhD 26. Tom-Girl, Trans Girl, Pink Boy: Finding a Support Group for All, by Lauren P., PsyD Appendix: Best Practices for the Care of Transgender Youth About the Editors and Contributors Acknowledgments, by Andrew R. Gottlieb Acknowledgments, by Arlene I. Lev Index