Orygen has launched a suite of multimedia resources designed to help mental health professionals cater to the needs of trans and gender diverse young people and their families.
Resource co-author Dr Isabel Zbukvic said trans and gender diverse young people were more likely to experience anxiety, depression, trauma and self-harm than cisgender young people, whose gender identity corresponds with the gender that was presumed for them at birth.
“This could be due to a number of factors including experiences of stigma, bullying and discrimination. While we know that trans and gender diverse young people are statistically at high risk of mental ill-health, not all will require mental health support,” she said.
“But for those that do, it’s imperative that our mental health workforce is equipped to work in an affirming and responsive way with them.”
Trans and gender diverse young people played a pivotal role in the development of the resources.
Finn, a youth advisor who worked on the project, said the resources were created with the intention of educating mental health practitioners.
“They’ve also been made in direct collaboration with those they aim to support, which I think is fundamental to any great clinical resource.”
Mac, also a youth advisor on the project, said his own experiences had highlighted areas for improvement and he wanted to be part of the solution.
“These resources are super important to me as they allow the burden of education to no longer be on the young person trying to access support.”
Orygen partnered with Telethon Kids Institute to develop the resources.
Associate Professor Ashleigh Lin, program head at Telethon Kids, said the institute was pleased to partner with Orygen on the project because such resources were desperately needed.
“When we partner, we get a broader range of experiences and perspectives,” she said.
The resources cover a range of topics including gender diversity and language, gender-affirming mental health care and a training module, Gender diversity and youth mental health 101.
The resources are also designed to assist mental health clinicians working with the families of trans and gender diverse young people.
“Working with family has been identified as a key area for helping to support the mental health and wellbeing of trans young people,” Dr Zbukvic said.
Development of the resources was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health.