BACKGROUND

How I got here

I have been supporting trans people and their families to navigate the various stages of their journeys for many years. 

I began my career as a therapist in a LGBTIQ+ organisation that had a 'whole-of-family' approach. I didn't know at the time how unique this was. For every young person I worked with, their family was also considered the client, so I had the opportunity to work with parents from the very beginning of my career.  

When the service's waitlist grew to six months or more, I was part of the team that created a parent group to support families while their young people waited for therapy. That group became The Village, a program that still runs through Queerspace today, and one I am still contracted to present for.

Through a decade of working with parents of trans young people, I have found a greater and greater love for this work. This only deepened when I became a parent myself.

I have developed a skillset that I am determined to provide to families, in giving the information parents need, when they need it, in such a way that brings families closer and supports the wellbeing of parent and child. 

I not only care deeply about the outcomes for trans people, but I am also determined to support their families to find a greater sense of understanding, ease and connection.

PHILOSOPHY

What drives the work

I believe individual wellbeing is mostly about context. Context supports or undermines our inner landscape and our sense of what is possible. Family is our very first context as children, and it remains one of the most significant throughout our lives.

Parents have the most powerful influence on the wellbeing of young people and usually working with parents is more impactful to the young person's mental health than working directly with that young person. But it is not just that. 

I have seen over the years hundreds of loving parents absolutely torn apart by the stress and worry they carry for their trans child. I have also seen their relationship with their child often suffer, because of how new and challenging the experience is for everyone involved. 

I have seen this again and again: what becomes possible when parents are given good, accessible, and nuanced guidance, delivered with genuine empathy for the challenges of parenthood.

My personal experience as a trans nonbinary person informs the depth of care I bring to this work. And the thousands of hours I have spent in conversation with trans people and their families has shaped everything I do.

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