Clinical and counselling psychologists play a central role within Gender Identity Clinics (GICs), supporting transgender service users through psychological assessment, formulation, and intervention, as well as assessing readiness for medical interventions such as surgery and hormone treatment. Yet, despite this influence, the scope and impact of psychology in these settings has not been formally audited, leaving gaps in understanding both for practitioners and for service users themselves.
This self-access class addresses these gaps by examining:
- The role of psychology in GICs: From assessment and formulation to preparing clients for medical interventions.
- Perspectives from the trans community: Exploring concerns raised in the NHS 2013–14 listening exercise, including the perception of psychologists’ power in decision-making.
- Research insights: Findings from Igi Moon’s study aimed at clarifying what psychologists ‘do’ within GICs and how their role is experienced by service users.
This class offers valuable insight for therapists seeking to better understand the dynamics of psychology within gender identity services and the perspectives of the transgender community.
This is an edited recording of Dr. Igi Moon’s live presentation at the COSRT 2022 Conference: Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diversity in Modern Therapy.
About The Trainer
Igi Moon
Igi is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist (HCPC) and Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS). They represent the BPS on a number of committees and they are presently involved with extending the Memorandum of Understanding against Conversion Therapies to protect trans and non-binary people. They are also an Associate Fellow at Warwick University in the Department of Sociology where they have designed and deliver the module ‘Beyond the Binary: Trans-Forming Gender’.
Igi’s work focuses on psychotherapy, gender, sexuality and emotion. It is an interesting combination! They have published two edited books, Counselling Ideologies: Queer Challenges to Heteronormativity (Routledge 2010) and Feeling Queer or Queer Feelings: Radical Approaches to Counselling Sex, Sexualities and Gender (Routledge 2007). They are presently working on developing a Trans-therapeutic approach to working with trans and non-binary people.
