Surviving Structural Oppression

On Friday I had the honour of an invitation to the United Nations.  I attended the Transgender Care Expert Panel, and I was eager to find out how I, as a psychotherapist who works with transgender, nonbinary, gender diverse and gender questioning people, can help tackle discrimination at a structural level.  I only got a chance to speak at the end, so you will find me at minute point 1.01:54 onwards.  The answer I got was a little brief, but it is the start of a debate that I hope to continue. The United Nations video also contains useful resources, so please do share this -

http://webtv.un.org/watch/panel-discussion-on-transgender-society/6053662594001/
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Too often I find that the changes that need to take place are not necessarily at an individual level (ie, within the individual psychotherapy sessions I provide).  A great deal of the anxiety and depression is caused by the discrimination experienced by people who are transgender, nonbinary, gender diverse and gender questioning.  And we cannot ignore the shocking statistics:  “48% of all transgender adults report that they have considered suicide in the past 12 months, compared to 4% of the overall US population” (NAMI).

I encourage you to share the United Nations video and continue this dialogue.  More importantly, I encourage you to identify ways to tackle discrimination at a structural level
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​Chris Warren-Dickins LLB MA LPC 
Therapist, writer, educator, and LGBTQ+ advocate
https://www.chriswarrendickins.com/
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