Your gender therapist Vancouver weighs in on the sparkles and magic hormone therapy can do for Trans and Non-binary folx
I have been practicing as a gender therapist in Vancouver for more than six years, and I gotta say that a lot has changed.
When I first helped out a client exploring their gender identity and accessing hormone therapy, the landscape of transgender healthcare was quite different.
There were just so many moving pieces.
It was a truly humbling experience as a gender therapist in Vancouver, I remember feeling lost, uncertain, and overwhelmed about the whole process even as a professional.
Your gender therapist Vancouver observation on the lay of the gender identity exploration land today
It’s true that gender affirming care is so much more widely applicable and accessible today.
Though I feel there are still so many clouds of secrecy about the many pieces of gender affirming care in BC. Things like what hormone therapy is, who can access hormone therapy, and how to transition.
So, this is the first part of a series of articles about gender identity and transitioning.
In this one, I am going to share the what and how of hormone therapy for transgender and non-binary folx.
In the next one, I will talk some more about whether folx has to go through surgery to transition.
Caveat: What I share is a mish mash of things I learnt from my work as a gender therapist in Vancouver, as well as tons of convo I have with trans folx in my personal life.
Your gender therapist Vancouver spiel on what is hormone therapy for transgender and non-binary folx?
Hormone therapy for transgender folx is a part of gender affirming care that can help gender expansive folx look and feel differently about your body.
Hormone therapy may look like either feminizing (estrogen) or masculinizing (testosterone) hormones.
In my capacity as a gender therapist in Vancouver, I’ve seen many transgender and non-bninary folx take hormone therapy as a part of their gender transition to have an external appearance that aligns with how they feel internally.
It’s true that some folx decided to get on hormone therapy to have less obvious sex characteristics (less male, less female, or more androgynous)
Though my overall thoughts as a gender therapist in Vancouver, whatever your personal goals, hormone therapy can help you find more alignment with your gender identity.
> Find out out how your gender therapist Vancouver can walk with you to bring out the most confident youSome golden nuggets your gender therapist Vancouver knows about what hormone therapy can do for transgender folx
Hormone therapy (sometimes referred to as HRT) is the use of sex hormones (estrogen or testosterone) to alter some of the physical changes that came about after puberty (deepening of the voice, breast development, and facial hair growth.
In my years of experience as a gender therapist in Vancouver, I’ve seen a lot of transgender folx use hormone therapy to have physical characteristics that reflect their gender identity and relieve their dysphoria.
Some transgender folx described getting on hormone therapy feels like going through second puberty. They experience changes physically, emotionally, mentally, and sexually. In some cases, hormone therapy may change their reproductive function.
To support their gender affirming goals, transgender folx may take:
Testosterone → reduces estrogen-related features and promotes testosterone-like features (eg, deeper voice, increased muscle tone and facial hair growth)
Estrogen → often used in conjunction with testosterone-blocking medications and induces estrogen-related qualities (eg, softer skin, thinner body hair, reduced muscle mass)
Puberty blockers → meant to suppress sex hormones and can be started soon after puberty begins
Hop on to this follow-up article where I dissected some more the physical and emotional changes that can happen if you undergo hormone therapy.
Your gender therapist Vancouver’s verdict on the benefits of hormone therapy for tansgender and non-binary folx
Hormone therapy is meant to support you in feeling more at ease with yourself, both emotionally and physically.
Some folx experience discomfort with their appearance, which may impact how they show up in their day-to-day activities.
Some folx feel that their appearance is in conflict with their inner sense of gender identity.
If you have ever felt such a heightened sense of discomfort that disrupts or significantly impacts how you carry out your day-to-day activities, hormone therapy may be something worth considering.
Feeling uncertain about your gender?
Know that gender is a spectrum and your story matters!
Take the first step with a gender therapist who gets it!
Hello, I’m Nita Agustin
Registered Clinical Counsellor based in Burnaby, BC
My jam is helping curious and questioning queer youth and young adults move from confusion to clarity.
Most of my clients shared feeling overwhelmed by the messages the world told them how they’re supposed to be. They do not want to be defined by what society told them about themselves.
In our work together, I guide clients in figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and how to get there. We do this by processing how their past impacted the way they live out their life today. From our work together, I noticed clients develop better self-awareness and experience improved quality of life as they can show up differently in their relationships.
I offer virtual and in-person sessions in Brentwood, North Burnaby. In the summer I also offer walk-and-walk in Confederation Park.
I am licensed to practise in BC, as well as all across Canada, so I support clients all over BC, all the way from Vancouver to Kitimat. Other than working with clients who reside in BC, I also can support clients who reside in Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland.
Check out my About me page to learn more about what I do and have to offer for you. Also, explore my Services page to see how I can guide you in making shifts in your life today. If you feel ready to discover ways to live life on your own terms, I welcome you to book an initial intake session. I am so stoked to meet you and start figuring out how you can show up as your best self!
Throughout this pandemic, I witnessed telehealth virtual sessions become more of a norm, and it has been super transformative seeing clients can access mental health services from the comfort of their home.
There are lots of different stereotypes out there, and society tells us who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do in the world. It can feel very overwhelming and confusing to compare our personal experience against those ideas. The thing is, you no longer have to be defined by what society tells you. It is your life to live, and you get to decide who get a say about your life.
