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As therapists working almost exclusively with gender-questioning youth, Sasha and Stella share a little bit about the challenging experience of straddling between understanding the child's experiences and supporting parents who often grapple with goals conflicting with those of the child. This episode aims to provide valuable insights for parents navigating the complexities of supporting gender-diverse children with the goal of exploring some critical considerations that can sometimes be difficult for parents to embrace. They caution against oversimplified narratives, especially for parents who may have adopted a singular explanation for their child's trans identity, and they stress the importance of broadening perspectives, encouraging parents to consider multiple angles, including family dynamics. While exploring these key ideas, Sasha & Stella underscore the need for a middle ground, where parents provide warmth, connection, and engagement while remaining cautious about external influences, reminding parents that solutions lie in embracing complexity rather than adopting extreme and narrow approaches.
Excessive tech restrictions and controlling behavior without warmth can be counterproductive in dealing with ROGD
Be flexible and open to embracing radical changes in parenting strategies
Avoid the assumption that sharing extensive medical information about gender dysphoria will necessarily be helpful
Seek a wider understanding, thoughtfully embrace the possibility it might not be ROGD
Parents cannot dictate or control the therapeutic decisions made by their child’s therapist
Seek and pursue a measured and supportive approach, be cautious about rushing or hastily implementing various interventions to “fix” the situation
Parents need to manage their own distress before attempting to effectively help their child, prioritizing self-care is a must
Avoid and recognize the unhelpful nature of engaging in confrontations (specifically online) with kids, detransitions, or activists
Reassess roles and emotions when considering long-term transition strategies, reflecting on the possibility that (in some cases) transitioning may be a viable long-term experience
If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:
Episode 2 - Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria
https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria
Episode 4 - Why Do People Seek a New Identity?
https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/why-do-people-seek-a-new-identity
Episode 44 - Multiple Meanings of Gender Dysphoria: A Conversation with Aaron Terrell
Episode 52 - Gender Dysphoria & Detransition Research: A Conversation W/ Dr. Lisa Littman
Episode 122 - We Wrote a Book: When Kids Say They're Trans | A Guide for Thoughtful Parents
https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/is-my-child-trans-a-guide-for-parents
Episode 136 - Gender as a Communication, It's Not What You Think with Maggie Goldsmith
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For more information about Sasha’s & Stella’s parent coaching membership groups:
Sasha Ayad: https://inspiredteentherapy.com/parents-start-here
Stella O’Malley: http://www.stellaomalley.com/parent-coaching
To learn more about our sponsors, visit:
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145 - Things ROGD Parents Need to Hear (even if they don’t want to)