Breaking the Binary: Providing Effective Counseling to Transgender Students in College and University Settings

Abstract

This article addresses the delivery of counseling services to transgender clients in a college or university counseling setting, including discussion of specific interventions from a developmental perspective. The article begins with a brief discussion of transgender identity, including the importance of understanding and addressing a transgender client's intersection of identities. Following this discussion is an outline of counseling from a transgender-positive framework with specific examples of interventions appropriate at each stage of identity development. Next is an examination of systemic issues related to college and university counseling, including the challenges and opportunities present in these settings. Specific references to the recently developed Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients are made throughout the article to specifically highlight how counselors may use these competencies in working with transgender clients in college and university settings.

KEYWORDS:

• transgender
• university
• college
• counseling
• LGBT