Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Persons\u27 Experiences With Counseling Assessments

Counselors sometimes use counseling assessments with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) persons without understanding the experiences individuals have with those assessments. The American Counseling Association and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health identified that attention is needed with the practice of counseling assessments to ensure that helpful, ethical, and culturally sensitive services are available. The purpose of this study was to explore TGNC adults\u27 experiences with counseling assessments. Gadamer\u27s hermeneutics provided a framework to examine qualitative data as truth and validate the individuals\u27 experiences with counseling assessments. Participants included 12 TGNC persons 18 years or older who had a counseling assessment provided by a mental health professional. Data were collected from questionnaires, a focus group, and individual interviews. Results from coding analysis revealed 6 themes: motivation, positive outcomes, barriers to participation, mental health professional, cultural sensitivity, and impact. Findings validated TGNC participants\u27 experiences with counseling assessments and may be used to improve counseling assessment practices for TGNC persons