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Desacelerar, abrirse: Se propone un modelo de terapia exploratoria para jóvenes con disforia de género

Hacia un modelo de exploración de género: Ralentizar las cosas, abrirlas y explorar el desarrollo de la identidad

Comentario y análisisTerapia exploratoria
Authors
Anastassis Spiliadis
Journal
Metalogos (Systemic Therapy Journal)
Year
2019
Source
www.researchgate.net/publication/334559847_Towards_a_Gender_Exploratory_Model_slowing_things_down_opening_things_up_and_exploring_identity_development

Summary

Writing as a family therapist at England's youth gender clinic (GIDS), Spiliadis sets out what he calls the Gender Exploratory Model. He argues that both simply going along with a young person's wish for medical transition and trying to change their identity cause problems. He proposes a middle path: respect the young person's stated identity and pronouns, while inviting them and their family to explore what their distress means, including sexuality, bullying, online influences and family life. He illustrates this with one anonymous case of a 15-year-old who later identified as gay and gender-fluid and put his hormone referral on hold. This is a framework and opinion piece, not a study. It reports no results data, relies on one case chosen by the author, and critics argue that exploratory therapy can slide into conversion practice (trying to change someone's identity).

Key findings

  • Spiliadis propone un 'Modelo Exploratorio de Género' como tercera vía para jóvenes que se cuestionan su género, entre simplemente afirmar su identidad y los enfoques 'reparativos' o de conversión que intentan cambiarla.
  • El modelo se basa en la terapia familiar y la teoría del desarrollo infantil. Subraya que nadie sabe cómo se desarrollará un joven y que los clínicos se enfrentan a 'incógnitas desconocidas'.
  • El trabajo terapéutico se describe en tres áreas: las normas de la clínica y las peticiones de tratamiento, la exploración del significado (incluidas la sexualidad y la cultura), y cómo exploran los clínicos y las palabras que usan.
  • Spiliadis sostiene que la exploración debería ocurrir antes, durante y posiblemente después de las decisiones médicas. Dice que esto encaja con el acuerdo del Reino Unido contra la terapia de conversión, siempre que los clínicos no dirijan el resultado.
  • En el único caso descrito, un chico de 15 años tuvo 11 sesiones de evaluación y 7 más a lo largo de unos 20 meses. Más tarde se describió como de género fluido, tuvo su primera experiencia con una persona de su mismo sexo y dejó en suspenso su derivación para hormonas a los 17 años.
  • El autor dice que el modelo no está pensado para todos los jóvenes, y pide una investigación adecuada que compare los enfoques terapéuticos en los servicios de género.

Abstract

Throughout the western world, the care of children and adolescents whose sexed corporeality is at odds with their gender-related feelings raises medical, psychological, and ethical dilemmas. There are currently differing views around what constitutes responsive and timely support for these young people and how professionals can operate within a rapidly shifting and contested field, in which evidence-base is scarce. In this article, I aim to reposition the theoretical framework away from 'affirmative' or 'reparative' polarities, arguing that both can be problematic, and to invite the reader into a Gender Exploratory Model (GEM) grounded in a systemic-developmental framework; such a model acknowledges and often embraces the notion of uncertainty with regards to young people's developmental trajectories and clinician's 'unknown unknowns' and exploratory responsibilities. A short introduction to the service (GIDS), as well as a presentation of the current theoretical and clinical debates will offer a contextual base for clinicians supporting young people experiencing gender dysphoria. This is not an attempt to explore the multifactorial aetiology of gender dysphoria but rather one to add on the theoretical underpinning of therapeutic approaches in supporting these young people.

Conclusion

In this paper, I attempted to move away from current theoretical polarities around psychosocial support for gender questioning young people and invite the reader to a different approach, the Gender Exploratory Model. Drawing on systemic and developmental theories, clinicians working with gender identity can invite service users into a process of collaborative exploration, whilst being mindful of the different domains of their action and the intersection with different contexts of the embodied and narrated distress. Such a model offers more possibilities with regards to assessment outcomes and young people's developmental trajectories. Clinicians ought to respect the young person's identity and gender expression, acknowledge the communicated embodied distress, and simultaneously invite service users into a process of exploration which can safely and respectfully shed light into the meaning making of the lived experiences. Finally, the dynamic intersection of gender identity with other markers of broader identity and psychosexual development is important, as is the acknowledgement that the notion of uncertainty is central in exploratory work with gender questioning or trans-identified young people.