Gender Identity and Faith: Clinical Postures, Tools, and Case Studies for Client-Centered Care

Helping people navigate gender identity questions today is complex and often polarized work. For clients and families who are also informed by their faith, some mental health approaches raise more questions than answers. Clinicians need a client-centered, open-ended approach that makes room for gender exploration while respecting religious identity.Gender Identity and Faith carves out clinical space for mental health professionals to help people who wish to take seriously their gender identity, their religious identity, and the relationship between the two. Drawing from their extensive research and experience with clients, Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky provide a timely, practical resource for practitioners. This book

• emphasizes respect for clients' journeys, without a single fixed outcome, toward congruence between their gender identity and faith
• describes effective clinical postures, assessment and therapeutic tools, and numerous case studies
• covers needs and characteristics of children, youth, and adult clients
• includes worksheets and prompts for clients and family members

"Integrating personhood and values is no easy feat, especially in our current cultural landscape," the authors write. Those navigating this intersection need clinicians who seek to understand their unique context and journey alongside them with empathy. This book points the way.

Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Mark A. Yarhouse (PsyD, Wheaton College) is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Endowed Chair and professor of psychology at Wheaton College, where he directs the Sexual and Gender Identity (SGI) Institute. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and author or coauthor of several books, including Understanding Gender Dysphoria, Modern Psychopathologies, Understanding Sexual Identity, and Family Therapies.

Julia A. Sadusky (PsyD, Regent University) is a licensed clinical psychologist and owner of Lux Counseling and Consulting, a private practice in Littleton, Colorado. She is a fellow of the Sexual and Gender Identity Institute at Wheaton College, an advisor for the Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender, and an adjunct professor at Denver Seminary. She is the coauthor (with Mark Yarhouse) of Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today's Youth.