Courier-Journal.com – By Angie Fenton
Most reputable therapists and medical doctors who work with transgender individuals follow the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care, developed by the late physician, who was one of the first to work with transgender people.
The goal of the standards is to provide “lasting personal comfort with the gendered self in order to maximize overall psychological well-being and self-fulfillment.”
Not all transgender individuals seek professional help. But for those who do, a timeline might look something like this:
The Standards of Care process
? Personal recognition by an individual that he or she is “living a lie,” as many transgender people describe the experience of feeling that the gender they were assigned at birth is incorrect.