Psychological Assessment Considerations Series: Assessment with Transgender and Gender-Diverse Clients: Ethical & Legal Considerations

Description

Presenter: Luke Allen

Overview:

The World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care 8 (SOC 8) recommends that clients undergoing gender-affirming surgeries have an assessment (depending on the surgery) from health care providers experienced in gender care (Coleman et al., 2022). A letter of support is typically required prior to the provision of transitional medical interventions and for insurance coverage. This presentation provides a brief ethics overview, emphasizing the guiding principles of the American Psychological Association guiding principles (APA; as also discussed by Beauchamp & Childress, 2019) to utilize as a framework for evaluating ethical questions in assessment with transgender and non-binary clients. The SOC 8 and current state of affairs are discussed, with a focus on areas of perceived tension with regard to assessment as well as its usefulness (Brown et al., 2020; Allen et al., 2021). Specifically, aspects such as models of informed consent (Ashley scope of practice for the mental health professional) are discussed.

Learning Objectives:

1. Articulate areas of perceived tension between the guiding principles of the America Psychological Association with regard to assessment for transgender and non- binary
2. Describe three models of informed consent with regard to gender care for transgender and non-binary
3. List key areas of assessment when evaluating and referring to gender confirmation