Ways to Help Transgender Teens Explore Their Gender & Faith - Andrew Triska, MSW & LCSW

Many parents struggle to understand ways to support their their transgender teenager, especially if they think that it's just a phase of gender exploration, or a mild form of gender dysphoria that will eventually resolve.

A parent may further struggle on how to care for their trans youth if they belong to a non-affirming religious community, which may exclude their teen from participating in spiritual ceremonies (e.g. communion, confirmation, mitzvahs) and gender-based ministries. Sadly, some of these religious communities may further harm trans youth with transphobic teachings and political agendas aimed to hurt the LGBT community.

All of this can lead trans youth to feel unaccepted, unloved, and less likely to continue in their faith journey.

In this week's podcast, we chat with Andrew Maxwell Triska, MSW, LCSW about ways for parents to support and affirm their trans teen at home, school, and church.

Andrew is a psychotherapist, educator, and author who works with trans and queer youth and adults. Triska also trains and consults on gender identity and sexuality for organizations, corporations, and schools. He is proud to be a trans-identified therapist and his fantastic new book "Parenting Your Transgender Teen: Positive Parenting Strategies for Raising Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Teens" is designed to help parents actively support and affirm their trans youth along the journey.

Some trans-affirming religious organizations mentioned in this podcast:

The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity:
https://www.themasgd.org/

Keshet - For LGBTQ Equality in Jewish Life:
https://www.keshetonline.org/

Jewish Queer Youth
https://www.jqyouth.org/

Transmission Ministry Collective
https://www.transmissionministry.com/

Reformation Project:
https://reformationproject.org/resources/

Trans Support and Counseling Resources:
https://www.wpath.org/
https://pflag.org/

You can get podcast notes and resources mentioned in this episode on the blog:
http://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/supporting-trans-kids/