Transgender Counseling in Seattle

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Kristen Martinez, MEd/EdS, LMHCA, NCC

Kristen Martinez, M.Ed., Ed.S., LMHCA, NCC

Trans-affirming counseling is one of my specialties; I love working with folks in the trans and gender non conforming (GNC) community, and have been doing so since 2014. I am welcoming toward those who identify as transgender, trans, female to male (FTM), male to female (MTF), trans women, trans men, two-spirit, genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, bigender, and more (there are many labels out there!), and am happy to support folks who are questioning or exploring their gender identity. While I unfortunately cannot write letters for accessing gender-affirming care, I can provide you with referrals for colleagues who do.

I focused my graduate work on special issues affecting the queer and trans population and became a vocal supporter for trans and queer rights to my classmates, friends, professors, and community. In my studies, I conducted research on gay men’s coming out experiences, conceptualized HIV in the transgender community, critiqued  research examining lesbian and gay couple work-life balance, wrote an introduction to feminist therapy, and proposed research on transgender discrimination within the LGBT community.

You may be experiencing stress, fear, worries, or anxiety. Maybe you’re feeling sad, lonely, confused, tired, or hopeless. You might be angry, frustrated, or upset. These feelings are tempting to hide with drugs or alcohol, risky sexual behaviors, overexercising, over- or under-eating, self-injury, or other harmful coping behaviors, but they won’t go away unless you can face them head-on.

Questioning your identity can be scary, or it can be cathartic and tinged with hope and potential. Coming to terms with your gender identity may be challenging for you. Living with that identity might be even more difficult. It can be hard to accept yourself as you truly are when all you see is hatred and ignorance around you. Stigma, discrimination, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, cisnormativity, heterosexism, racism, sexism, classism, transmisogyny, and misogyny are real. There is nothing wrong with you; it is the culture all around you that needs to be fixed.

Trans-Affirming Counseling in Seattle

If you need support, I would be honored to give you a safe space to explore these issues. Trans-affirming counseling and therapy is empowering, understanding, and proactive. Together we can build a foundation of trust that encourages you to cultivate stronger relationships with your loved ones, reach out for resources, increase your self-acceptance and self-care practices, and be at peace with and love who you really are.

Trans-affirming counseling and therapy underscores that your gender identity is only one facet of your identity. You have multiple identities that may waver in importance or salience at any point in time. What you come into counseling for may have nothing at all to do with this facet of your identity, and I understand this important distinction.

Resources 

If you are trans and in crisis: Call Trans Lifeline‘s 24-hour crisis hotline at 877-565-8860

Comprehensive support for trans, gender-variant, and genderqueer people: Ingersoll Gender Center

Educational and social group for trans folks: Emerald City Social Club

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