Comprehensive literature reviews of gender dysphoria and transgender identification across northern Europe have resulted in national redirection toward strong emphasis on mental health evaluation and support for both the gender dysphoric patient and their families, rather than “gender affirming health care” (meaning gender medical experimentation) in Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom and Denmark, with other nations similarly considering reform. There exist more honest answers to gender dysphoria than the chemical sterilization and surgical mutilation of able young bodies for a mental health problem that usually desists by adulthood (unless affirmed, which derails natural desistance). With counseling increasingly being seen as key, added resources to faithfully guide Christian medical and mental health professionals in the care of gender dysphoric youth are needed.

Enter Dr. Julie Hamilton’s excellent “Counseling Gender Dysphoric Children and Teenagers.” Dr. Hamilton is past president of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity, possessing decades of counseling experience on this problem. Quite courageously, Julie went directly to two of the leading professionals in the field, psychologist Ken Zucker and psychiatrist Susan Bradley, whose interviews provide clear insights. This impressive free video combines articulation of key principles interspersed with compelling personal testimonies to guide us toward an active and practical psychotherapeutic approach to the problem. This stands as a challenge to the passive “watchful waiting” school of thought. In my humble opinion, the passive approach is greatly compromised by the transgender ideological capture of media/entertainment, schools/academics, medicine, business and government, which have been relentless in their advocacy of gender confusion in the young and old. (Disclosure: Dr. Hamilton’s project carries my endorsement.)

Dr. Hamilton’s video is helpfully arranged in three main parts: Contributing factors to gender dysphoria, counseling and specifics for Christian clients. Part one, contributing factors, discusses personality characteristics, perceptions and misperceptions about gender, parent-child relationships (bonding to same-sex parent is especially important), peer relationships (inclusion and acceptance from same-sex peers solidifies gender identity), psychodynamics of the family and, lastly, contributing factors in rapid-onset gender dysphoria (autism spectrum disorder in particular).

Part two, counseling, emphasizes the helpfulness of working with both the parent and the child/teen. Subsections include (1) addressing personality characteristics and perceptions such as sensitivity, misperceptions, autism and emotional regulation; (2) assisting with parent-child relationships (four As of parenting: attention, affirmation, approval and affection; gentle conversations; listening; no shaming to child or parent; discussing who and what God says they are; the possible need for major life changes; and more); (3) advancing peer relationships; and (4) attending to family psychodynamics, which can be complex. Specific to rapid-onset gender dysphoria, Dr. Hamilton stresses dealing with underlying mental health issues, removing and replacing negative influences with positive experiences and people, replacing online relationships with real life experiences, strengthening family relationships and same-sex peer bonding.

Part three is a remarkable section on Christian clients, with a detailed presentation of the biblical world view that sets this project apart from most others I have seen. Here Dr. Hamilton discusses powerful scriptural themes in counseling such as embracing God’s design for life—the sexes, marriage between one man and one woman and more—the Holy Spirit living within us and equipping us, God’s Word as guidance, God’s unconditional love, our worth and why, repentance, forgiveness, finding our identity in Christ and more.

No production is perfect, and a few items in the video bothered me, though these were better dealt with later on. At time marker 4:05, Dr. Hamilton states regarding desistance of transgender ideation in the young, “most of these will grow up to be gay or lesbian.”  The figures in the literature I have read suggest a 40 to 60 percent rate of same-sex sexual attraction in gender-confused youth (the figures are not of strong certainty but are strongly believed). Yet, this phrasing of “gay or lesbian” is ideological nomenclature, which echoes the similarly ideological precepts of born gay cannot change and that efforts to do so are harmful, all of which I have contested in past CMDA writings.[1]^,[2],[3],[4] Gay/straight, like trans/cis, are category errors designed to weaponize words for socio-political ends. Words determine thoughts, which determine beliefs, which determine culture. This war of words has been phenomenally successful, so much so that even among some CMDA members, what I’ve just stated may read as silly or offensive. There is no GLBTQA+. We are male and female (and disorders of sex development/intersex conditions do not contradict this),[5] created in the image of God, from which the concepts of universal human rights and equality originated.[6] Abandonment of identity rooted in the imago Dei ensures that respect for human rights and equality will not long endure. Transhumanism, to which transgenderism is a stepping stone, will do little to preserve human rights or equality, and that is the next bioethical battle ground, but I digress.

Finally, we have Dr. Hamilton’s conclusion: “It’s clear that there is a lot more going on underneath the surface of gender dysphoric children. It would seem the most helpful approach would be to deal with the underlying issues. In doing so we can help them live life more comfortable and confident in their own skin and become all that God designed them to be.” Again, “Counseling Gender Dysphoric Children and Teenagers” is free at genderidentity101.com.

[1] https://cmda.org/soce-reduces-suicidality-in-a-new-study/

[2] https://cmda.org/therapy-bans-apa-talking-points-and-counseling-choice/

[3] https://cmda.org/debunking-a-fallacy-new-study-shows-therapy-for-undesired-same-sex-attraction-can-be-effective-beneficial-and-not-harmful/

[4] https://cmda.org/even-failed-therapy-for-undesired-same-sex-sexuality-results-in-no-harm-finds-new-study/

[5] https://resources.cmda.org/intersex-what-it-is-and-is-not/

[6] Jurgen Habermas, Time of transitions (Cambridge: Polity Press 2006), p. 150-151.