Transgender affirming therapy is a speciality at Wisdom Within Counseling. Often, family members feel upset when a loved one comes out. Our team of therapists offer expertise in transgender, LGBTQIA+, and gender diverse issues. Wether your spouse came out to you that they are non-binary, or your child is transgender, our team can help.
How do family members typically react when someone comes out as transgender?
Many times, whether your spouse comes out as transgender, or your child is coming out as transgender, you might feel concerned. Deeply, you want them to be able to make their own choices. However, they are changing. Your loved one is going through a big transition, and possibly even more than just through their gender expression. Your loved one might ask you to call them a different name. It might feel really weird or strange to call your spouse a different name are used different pronouns. If your a teenager wants you to use they/them pronouns, use their preferred pronouns. If there is any family rejection or even family criticism, a transgender person may feel guilty and ashamed. There might be negative behaviors that come out if a teenager is rejected such as teen drinking, alcoholism, drug use, anger, depression, or impulsive behaviors.
If your spouse comes out as non-binary or transgender, and they do not feel acceptance or even tolerance, they might even question the entirety of their marriage.
Coming out as gender questioning or transgender is a really important step for your loved one.
Working with a family counselor and therapist can help you be affirming and an ally. Your spouse or your child will already be facing so much rejection and their social circles, at work, and at school. Family therapy can help you be transgender affirming. A lot of times, if you are a parent or spouse, you might not have any education on LGBTQ or transgender awareness. Your family therapist can help educate you and provide you with book recommendations and LGBTQIA+ queer resources to be more affirming. And, if you do have concerns or fears of your own about your spouse or your child being transgender, individual counseling sessions can help you process those fears. Your therapist can help you talk about irrational fears, religious beliefs, and anything that might be limiting you from being accepting and loving to your family member.
How will I know if my child is transgender?
First, transgender children often begin with gender fluid behaviors. And, therapy for transgender children in Connecticut can help your child have a safe place to get clear. You can learn ways to be supportive of different forms of gender expression. Also, therapy for transgender children in Connecticut involves parent-only support sessions. You can learn to be affirming and offer guidance to your little one. Likewise, parenting sessions help you gain education and understanding for your child’s changes. Their moods and emotions will change. They will need you as their solid rock to support them and build a positive network. Sometimes, the coming out process can lead to family tension and conflict. Overall, therapy for transgender children and families in Connecticut can help your whole family get closer.
When does a transgender person come out?
Typically, transgender people come out and reveal that they are transgender when they feel safe enough to do so. At Wisdom Within Counseling, we have worked with transgender people that do not come out until they are 60 years old. Other times, we work with transgender children as young as three years old. Many times, adults will refrain from coming out of the closet because they fear rejection. An adult might come from a highly religious family where their parents make fun of gay people regularly, so being transgender would mean being ostracized and never ever spoken to you again. Sometimes, a gay child tests the waters by saying their friend is gay or transgender to see how their parents might react.
What does LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy for families look like?
In counseling for transgender children, we help you figure out what’s going on with your child. Maybe, your child is gender expressive, or perhaps, they are transgender. This will become clear over time. If your spouse is questioning their gender, bi-gender, or their sexual orientation is evolving, our team can help. It can feel scary hearing your loved one question their gender or not have the life experience yourself to know.
At Wisdom Within Counseling, our team of counselors are queer, transgender, and non-binary affirming.
What does therapy for transgender child in Connecticut look like?
Also, we help your child feel a sense of accomplishment, better self-esteem, and autonomy. Wisdom Within Counseling helps families support a transgender sibling, child, or spouse. When it comes to supporting your transgender child, seeking out an LGBTQIA therapist is essential.
You might be getting negative feedback from family and friends.
We can talk about what it means to build an LGBTQIA+ support network.
The team at Wisdom Within Counseling in Niantic, CT helps parents learn how to support their transgender child.
Does your little boy day that he wants to grow his hair longer like a girl?
And, he’s says, “I am really a girl.”
Secondly, many transgender children show signs in their toddler and elementary school years. When children grow up without oppression, they can more easily come out. However, with religious biases or controlling parents, children stuff away these feelings. For one, your boy may want longer hair or ask to wear dresses. Or, your girl persists for getting a very short hair cut and says, “I am a boy.” Around three years of age, gender begins to evolve from culture.
Parents may feel concerned at first
However, it can be hard on you as a parent if you grew up with strong religious values to understand your transgender or gender diverse child. You might feel afraid or confused. Working with a therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling can support LGBTQIA+ family values. Right now, you’re concerned and worried that they will be bullied as they grow up. You want support and help understanding what’s going on with your gender questioning child. Maybe, your spouse is not as supportive as you would like. Conflicts within your family and home life are increasing.
Confidence and clarity in child and family therapy
Therefore, our team can help your whole family feel clarity and confidence around LGBTQIA counseling in Niantic, CT. Holistic therapy for transgender child in Connecticut uses art therapies, drama therapies, yoga therapies, animal therapies, and outdoor therapies to help you, your spouse, and child feel acceptance. Plus, these holistic therapies provide a language beyond just words.
Creative, holistic Niantic, CT therapist group, Wisdom Within Counseling
In Southeastern Connecticut, in Niantic, counseling for transgender children and adults incorporates positive thinking, creativity, and playfulness. Manytimes, adults who are transgender had to go through a lot of oppression, anger, anxiety, and fear. At one time, it was unsafe and ti still may feel unsafe to be fully yourself. So, for adults who are gender diverse and transgender, we offer acceptance. You may have trauma symptoms present from facing bullying, oppression, or family rejection. You are not alone. Wisdom Within Counseling supports transgender, queer, non-binary, asexual, bisexual, pansexual, and LGBTQIA+ children and adults alike. In child therapy, through play therapies your child can express their feelings in ways beyond just words. Wisdom Within Counseling is run by Katie Ziskind where the team offers holistic counseling for transgender children and adults.
Holistic counseling for transgender children in East Lyme, CT
Why is it so important to work with a transgender specialist for therapy?
Unfortunately, the first Niantic, CT therapist you call may not return your voicemail. They may not even know what non-binary means! And, the next Niantic, Connecticut therapist may not feel comfortable working with transgender children and adults. Many therapists do not have the extensive training that the team at Wisdom Within Counseling has to work with LGBTQIA+ expression. Sometimes, therapy for transgender children in Connecticut is only possible miles away from your home. So, that is another reason we offer phone and video counseling sessions for therapy for transgender children, couples, and adults in Connecticut. W
Our team of counselors at Wisdom Within Counseling specialize with sexuality, gender questioning, queer, consensual polyamorous couples, and more.
Often, when looking for an LGBTQIA Niantic, CT therapist, there are only a few. Proudly, the Wisdom Within Counseling team are educated and affirming to LGBTQ topics. These are speciality areas of ours. From sexuality, to gender, to sexual orientation, look no further for a Niantic, CT therapist.
To begin, click the button below for your phone consult for LGBTQIA+ and transgender affirming therapy for yourself, your marriage, or your child.
Looking for a unique transgender affirming therapist?
We bring art, yoga, music, animals, and outdoor walk and talk therapies for your child to choose from.
Looking for an LGBTQIA+ affirming Niantic, CT therapist?
Is your child a biological boy seeking to play with traditional girl toys and clothes?
Well, this may be that your child likes girly things. Sometimes, boys want to dress up. Other times, boys dressing up may mean they are transgender. Or, it may also mean your boy feels pretty and beautiful in dresses. Working with a gender specialist can help you see this as a beautiful experience. Our team of therapists can help you learn more about your child or your spouse without fear. In utero, hormones are set into motion.
What is holistic, creative therapy for transgender children and adults in Connecticut?
And, your little one may have a mix up for these hormones. They may say, “I was born into the wrong body.” Or, your child may say, “Call me a different name. I want to shop over here.” As a parent, it is common to feel you are at fault. In transgender affirming therapy, you can fully learn that you didn’t do anything wrong. Having a transgender or gender expressive child or spouse is a very beautiful part of your relationship. There doesn’t have to be fear, concern, uncertainty, or anger. LGBTQIA and queer affirming therapy in Niantic can help figure out the answers to your current confusion.
More on gender dysphoria
When a person is transgender, the DSM labels that as gender dysphoria. For instance, just like you’re born with brown eyes and brown hair, your little one is born transgender. For one, do not take matters into your own heads out of anger or fear. Never use physical or emotional abuse to try to make your child or spouse less transgender or less gay. This is not something physical abuse can punish out of them. Wisdom Within Counseling teaches positive relationship skills. Even if anger, confusion, or religious beliefs are limiting your perspective of your loved one, therapy can support open communication. Also, having a LGBTQIA+ therapist can help create accommodations for your child in school.
Or, is your little girl telling you to call her a boy name? And, is she saying, “I’m a boy! I want to be in Boy Scouts?”
Furthermore, counseling for transgender children helps your little one feel better about themselves. Building self-esteem is very important for adults and children who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Gender questioning, bisexual, pansexual, queer, non-binary, and more all have a meaning. At Wisdom Within Counseling, we support couples, children and teens who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. As well, we offer art therapies to paint about fear, anger, loss, and happiness. Musical instruments support making sounds to express anger, jealousy, anxiety, and shame. Even going for a walk and talk therapy session by the beach can improve mood. Improving self-esteem, boosting self-confidence, and self-acceptance are benefits of art, yoga, music, animals and outdoor therapies.
For example, art and painting can help a child communicate beyond just talking.
In Niantic, Connecticut, Wisdom Within Counseling offers holistic therapies to help transgender children and adult feel acceptance. At Wisdom Within Counseling, you get a safe place to truly embrace who you are. Whether you want to talk about opening your marriage consensually, or your child is transgender, you can do that here. In counseling, we support gender diversity and all sexual orientations. Often, these changes on a personal level can cause challenges in the rest of the family. Not all family members are affirming or accepting of your new gender identity or your child’s new gender identity.
Overall, holistic counseling for transgender children and adults supports a healthy sense of self.
You and your child can learn to be who you are and the most authentic version of yourself. As well, our team of LGBTQIA+ affirming marriage and family therapists support emotional expression and creative outlets. So, through painting, creating art, yoga, play therapy, movement and outdoor walking therapies. You can learn how to advocate for your transgender or LGBTQIA+ loved one at home, work, and at school. Naturally, our team of therapists also work with medical professionals and school districts in the process of counseling for transgender children and adults.
Looking for an LGBTQIA Niantic, CT therapist?
As a parent, if your spouse doesn’t accept your gender fluid child, it can make your marriages tough. And, if your spouse does’t accept how you identify, that can cause marital issues. Maybe, you just came out as non=binary or gender fluid, and your spouse is feeling afraid. That is a great reason to seek LGBTQIA+ affirming marriage therapy. For children who do not have two accepting parents, family conflicts arise. For instance, you are LGBTQIA+ accepting and as a parent, you may feel affirming. But, your spouse is very close minded, traditional, religious, and you are thinking about divorce. Often, separation and divorce is a complication when two parents don’t agree. Co-parenting in divorce and separation can be challenging when parents share different views on LGBTQIA expression. And, it can be really hard to see your child struggle to constantly ask for LGBTQIA+ acceptance from your child’s other parent.
Holistic, creative therapy for transgender child in Connecticut
So, if you love your child so openly regardless of their gender, but their other parent doesn’t accept them, having your child work with a LGBTQIA+ therapist can be really supportive. For adults who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, working with a therapist can offer a safe space outside of work and home. Your spouse may make hurtful comments about your new appearance. Couples therapy and family counseling at Wisdom Within Counseling helps family members get on the same page. We offer art therapies, yoga therapies, walking therapies, nature therapies, and video therapies that are transgender affirming. Lastly, holistic, creative LGBTQIA counseling for transgender children and families offer self-love, acceptance, a sense of belonging, and support.
Locations for LGBTQIA+ and non binary affirming therapy in Connecticut
We offer in person and video counseling to Connecticut towns including Fairfield, Cos Cob, Darien, Woodbridge, Old Greenwich, Rye, Greenwich, Southport, Easton, Darien, Byram, New Canann, Essex, Weston, Bridgewater, Fenwick, Hartford, Norwalk, East Lyme, Simsbury, Westport, Redding, Greenwich, Middletown, Bloomfield, Stamford, Washington, Kent, Madison, Glastonbury, Ivoryton, Washington, Bethlehem, Morris, Middlebury, Sharon, West Hartford, Colchester, Columbia, New Milford, Griswold, Guilford, Tolland, Stonington, Goshen, Salisbury, Monroe, Killingworth, Bloomfield, Rye, Enfield, Lyme, Madison, Clinton, Litchfield, Warren, Avon, Wilton, Mystic, Ridgefield, Shelton, and West Hartford.
