Our mission is to reduce gender-related distress (GRD) and promote human flourishing by empowering youth, adults, and families to live authentically, strengthen their relationships, and accept their sexed bodies.
Our assessment approach is comprehensive and our therapy is holistic. We believe that:
- Individuals and families experiencing gender-related distress (GRD) deserve to have treatment available to them that focuses on authentic living, secure relationships, and body acceptance.
- Gender nonconformity/conformity is healthy when it is authentic, adaptive to functioning, and does not obscure the reality of sex or infringe on sex-based rights.
- Youth of every sexual orientation may in some cases feel distant from their sexed bodies because of peer estrangement, unmet attachment needs, and sexual insecurity and/or confusion. A desire to transition may sometimes be influenced by these complicated challenges.
- Pronouns provide an important social function. Using pronouns that correspond with biological sex ensures clarity and transparency, which are especially important for the safety of women and children. While clinicians and family members should not feel compelled to use non-biological pronouns, they should be sensitive and compassionate, and perhaps limit or avoid pronouns altogether in some circumstances.
- Social transition can exacerbate dissonance between the mind and body, can lead to medicalization, and infringes on sex-based rights, particularly those of women and children.
- Puberty is an important albeit difficult phase of development that deserves protection. A girl’s ability to someday conceive, carry, deliver, nurse, and mother biological children, and a boy’s ability to father biological children should be preserved.
We provide supportive mental health care in harmony with our mission to all clients, and do not discriminate against any client on the basis of transition status or goals, sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation. While we do not provide letters approving transition, we refer clients desiring support for legal social and/or medical transition to professionals who can help them in these areas, while continuing to support their overall well-being.
Helping families get the sensitive, non-medicalized therapy they deserve.
Donate so that GHI can provide harmony-focused therapy to low-income individuals and families burdened by gender-related distress.