Ethical Considerations In Group Therapy With Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Clients

Link: https://www.sagps.org/upcoming-events

Presenter: Jennifer “Alison” Bess, Ph.D.

(pronouns: they/ them) 

Jennifer “Allison” Bess, Ph.D. has been an advocate for Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) individuals since they defended their dissertation in 2006, which was a qualitative study about experiences of TGD individuals in therapy. They are currently a Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Psychologist with South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS), where they have worked for 9 years. They have facilitated the Transgender Veterans Group at STVHCS and have conducted mental health evaluations for gender affirming medical treatment there since 2014. They are currently a member of the national Transgender Care Coordination (TCC) Integrated Project Team (IPT), Care Coordination workstream, whose goal is to assess current services in Veterans Health Administration for TGD veterans and to plan, develop, and initiate the gender affirming surgery continuum of care. Dr. Bess also frequently provides consultation and didactic presentations to VA providers and staff regarding gender diversity, working with older LGBTQ+ veterans, minority stress, Neurodiversity, disability justice, and the social determinants of health.