Child Life Care of Gender-Expansive Children and Youth

Transgender and gender-expansive individuals are increasingly visible in society. Recent estimates indicate that approximately 0.7% of youth 13-17 years of age (150,000 individuals) and 0.6 % of adults (1.4 million individuals) in the United States identify as transgender. Recognizing their unique medical and psychosocial needs, clinical care programs for transgender and gender-expansive children and youth are now present in many children’s hospitals across the country. Child life specialists working with transgender and gender-expansive children and youth have the opportunity to create safe and affirming environments, provide comfort and support, and foster communication and connectedness with parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers. This webinar reviews terminology and describes clinical guidelines for gender-affirming interventions. Additionally, it describes affirmative, trauma-informed, culturally humble, and strength-based approaches in caring for the population, grounded in core child life principles. The session will draw upon the experience of Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Gender Support Program and include patient and parent perspectives. 

Participants will be able to:

-Differentiate natal sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation

-Discuss clinical guidelines in the care of gender diverse children and youth 

-Discuss considerations in the care of gender diverse children and youth for the child life specialist

-Describe affirmative, culturally humble, and strength-based clinical approaches to gender diverse children and youth

Suggested Domain: Assessment

This webinar is part of our Established Professionals programming.