Date

4-18-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Jamie Clark

Keywords

Childhood, gender dysphoria, clinical confidence

Disciplines

Counseling | Psychology

Abstract

This dissertation explored mental health clinicians’ experience and self-confidence in their ability to identify and treat children with gender dysphoria. Gender issues are highly prevalent in the United States with an estimated 1.9 million individuals (about twice the population of South Dakota) considering themselves in the LGBT community. The American Psychological Association estimated that there were currently 106,500 licensed psychologists in the United States in a 2014 census. The United States Census population clock has the number of citizens to nearly 335 million people. Meaning that for every psychologist there are 3,146 potential clients. This is an overwhelming ratio of potential clients per clinician in the United States. There is very little existing research that considers the experience or confidence of clinicians who work with clients who experience gender dysphoria, let alone children who experience gender dysphoria. Nor does it address the changing terms, definitions, and expansion of society as they incorporate into real-world issues and treatments. This study utilized a phenomenological design to examine clinician confidence in their ability to identify and treat children with gender dysphoria. A total of 20 interviews were conducted with key findings concluding that mental health professionals generally have self-efficacy when working with childhood gender dysphoria, their confidence generally stems from working with the population, and all participants would like more and better training to sharpen their skills. Recommendations for follow-up studies include studies on improving clinician knowledge, identification of potential ethical concerns, or concerns with diagnostic criteria presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are suggested. This would ultimately enhance and improve the outcomes for children seeking mental health care for gender dysphoria.

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