Gender Spectrum
Community SubscriberGender Spectrum works to create gender sensitive and inclusive environments for all children and teens.
Hello! I had bookmarked this question so I could reply to it at home and lo and behold, I just got an email from Gender Spectrum that registration is now open for their summer conference. It's not a summer camp, but it's where you can connect with other parents and find out about more resources for your fam. People over-use the word "life-changing" but in this case it's apt. Attending this conference every summer for, like, all of my kid's teen years was a life-line. Register NOW tho. If money is a concern, they have scholarships and volunteer opportunities. Link is below but if it somehow doesn't post, just google "gender spectrum July 20" or similar and you should be able to find it.
https://www.genderspectrum.org/2019-conference-and-symposium/
Gender Spectrum is having their big annual conference this coming weekend 7/7-8. You might want to go with your child. Also, Diane Ehrensaft, PhD in Oakland is a developmental psychologist who specializes in this area. If she doesn’t have openings, she may have referrals. There is a local camp for kids called Kickin’ It.
An organization called Gender Spectrum has a monthly support group for parents and other caregivers of gender-expansive children. You will find a great community there who can help you on your journey and give you therapist leads. More info here: https://www.genderspectrum.org/we-can-help/support-groups/
Archived Q&A and Reviews
March 2016
RE: Looking for therapist - son is questioning gender identity
https://www.genderspectrum.org/ I want to share the community/website of gender spectrum which is a great resource on this question anon
I'd like to recommend Michelle Jurkiewicz, PhD, who practices in Berkeley. You can find her on myberkeleytherapist.com. I would also strongly recommend connecting with the group Gender Spectrum, and attending their parent support group, if you haven't already. Alma
Sept 2015
RE: Social/Support Groups for Gender-Expansive Pre-Teen
June 2011
RE: Middle School Accommodations for Gender Non Conforming Child?
Have you tried speaking to people at Gender Spectrum? http://www.genderspectrum.org/ My transboy is making the big switch next fall, and we were thinking of King Middle School, but chickened out and are going private. GS had a lot of tips and can help you talk to administrators. My child's therapist was also going to help write up a plan for school as well. Good luck--I know this is hard! You're not alone!
Sept 2010
RE: Therapist for a Gender Variant Child
My partner is transgender and we are involved with the trangender community here. ... Gender Spectrum. http://genderspectrum.org/ They just recently finished a conference here in Berkeley. We went to the one for adults in Seattle last year. This is a fantastic organization that gives support to families and children in many areas like school, therapy and transitioning. Good luck to you and your child. Let's Rethink the Binary
It sounds like you want your son to be true to himself, and you want to know the best way to support him. If you don't know about Gender Spectrum, check out this website: http://genderspectrum.org/. They are in the Bay Area and host monthly parent support meetings at Oakland Children's Hospital. You will find lots of parents with boys who want to be girls (and visa versa). It's so much easier when you can hear how other parents have navigated the same waters (finding supportive pre/elementary schools, changing names/pronouns, telling family/friends/neighbors, what to tell Grandpa when his only grandson is always wearing a dress, finding supportive pediatricians, how not to be too hard on yourselves, etc.,). You don't mention your son's age, but if he's under 5, it's probably too early for therapy for him (unless he's really unhappy). In our case, we just thought we had an uber tomboy (girl who wanted everything boy: haircut, male characters for Halloween, and boy clothes down to the jockey briefs). When our 9 year old daughter finally told us in WORDS that she'd been wanting to be a boy for three years, we took it seriously. We attended the support group and decided to have a private consult with one of the Gender Spectrum directors, Stephanie Brill (Orinda, 925-254-3907). She gave us lots of advice, reassurance, and recommendations for therapists, pediatricians, and endocrinologists....
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