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If you are experiencing gender dysphoria, one of the best ways to get support is to talk to and understand the perspectives of people who have been there themselves and come out the other side.
- Detrans Community on Reddit ->
- Detrans Wiki on Reddit ->
- Official /r/detrans Discord Server ->
- Ask 60,000+ detrans people with detrans.ai ->
Gender Affirming Care: What is it?
Gender affirming care is currently the standard (and often the only) treatment option for gender dysphoria offered by healthcare providers in the Western world. Gender affirming care essentially recognises societies gendered expectations and then adapts the patient to them. It is a staged approach that begins with social transition (name, pronouns, clothing), then hormone therapy, and then for some, irreversible surgical procedures. Gender affirming care can provide relief for gender dysphoria but it does come with serious health risks and often permanent side-effects. Proceed with extreme caution, and make sure you watch some testimonies from people who have been down this path before going down it yourself.
Gender Exploratory Therapy: What is it?
Gender Exploratory Therapy simply means that your therapist doesn't rush to affirm and medicalise you. Instead they will start by exploring concepts of gender and why you might feel this way. Gender Exploratory Therapy is an approach without a specific, predetermined agenda, and the outcomes of gender exploratory therapy can vary depending on each individual person.
If you Google 'Gender Exploratory Therapy', you will find some critiques which compare it to gay conversion therapy (which is proven to be ineffective). The truth is that Gender Exploratory Therapy is very different from gay conversion therapy:
| Gay-conversion therapy | Gender-exploratory therapy |
|---|---|
| Goal: Change sexual orientation because it is viewed as pathological.1 | Goal: Understand the meaning of the dysphoria; outcome can be transition, no transition, or partial social transition.2 |
| Method: Shame, aversion, behavioural conditioning, prayer.1 | Method: GET is compatible with a wide range of therapeutic modalities, such as standard psychodynamic or humanistic techniques—open questions, curiosity, no pre-set end-points.3 |
| Evidence base: Consistently shows harm; every major medical body condemns it. | Evidence base: No RCTs yet, but parallels to therapies that reduce anxiety, depression, self-harm; no data showing systematic harm.2,5 |
| Ethics: Violates autonomy by pushing heterosexual identity as the only right option.1 | Ethics: Seeks to expand autonomy by ensuring the adolescent (and family) understand all options before irreversible steps.3 |
References
References
- U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (2025). Report on Pediatric Gender Dysphoria and Gender Conversion Efforts.
- D'Angelo, R. (2025). 'Supporting autonomy in young people with gender dysphoria: psychotherapy is not conversion therapy.' Journal of Medical Ethics, 51(1).
- Lemma, A. & Schmidt, L. (2024). 'Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Gender Dysphoria is not Conversion Therapy.' Frontiers in Psychology.
- Korte, A. et al. (2021). 'One Size Does Not Fit All: In Support of Psychotherapy for Gender Dysphoria.' Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Academic research in this field is often biased. One of the most influential studies (Interrogating Gender-Exploratory Therapy) was published in 2022 by Florence Ashley, a trans woman. In her study she compared Gender Exploratory Therapy to gay conversion therapy and strongly condemns the practice. It should be recognised that people who identify as trans are motivated to protect their identity and beliefs, and this study is a perfect example of this. The study is full of logical fallacies, yet it was still published and is used as academic justification for gender-affirming care to be the only option for people who experience gender dysphoria.See all of the logical fallacies in Florence Ashley's study
Fallacy Name Simple Explanation Example from the Paper Straw-Man Attacks an exaggerated or distorted version of the other side, not what they actually say. Claims GET "discourages all affirmation" and "assumes trans identities are pathological", while GET proponents say they allow transition and don't presume pathology. Hasty Generalisation Uses one or two stories to claim "this always happens to everyone." Cites Keira Bell's single court case to argue that questioning gender identity always backfires and forecloses exploration for every youth. False Analogy Says "A looks a bit like B, so A must be as bad as B" even when the important parts are different. Because GET talks about "exploring causes" like old conversion therapy did, the paper concludes GET is ethically the same as anti-gay conversion practices. Begging the Question Assumes the very thing you're trying to prove, going round in a circle. "Being trans is not pathological, therefore any therapy that looks for pathology is unethical" — assumes pathology can't exist instead of proving it. Appeal to Ignorance "We don't have proof it's true, so it must be false" (or the other way round). "There is no compelling evidence that trans identities are maladaptive, so they never are" — treats lack of proof as disproof. False Dichotomy Claims there are only two choices—black or white—when other middle options exist. Frames the choice as either "full, immediate affirmation" or "coercive conversion-like exploration", ignoring parallel/supportive exploration plus reversible medical steps. Ad Hominem / Genetic Attacks the person or their motives instead of dealing with their actual argument. Calls GET advocates "the intellectual arm of political movements" seeking to criminalise gender-affirming care, instead of refuting their clinical claims. Slippery Slope "If we allow X, then terrible Y and Z will surely follow" without showing the chain will happen. "Questioning a client's narrative will undermine trust, forcing them to lie and rush into medical steps" — no data given that this routinely occurs. Quantifier Shift Jumps from "many" or "most" to "all," erasing exceptions. "Most youth want affirmation, therefore exploration disrespects EVERY client's agenda" — ignores the minority who ask for deeper exploration. Confirmation Bias Cites only the evidence that supports your view and ignores the rest. Bibliography lists no studies showing neutral or positive outcomes of GET; only critical or affirmative-therapy papers are cited. Category Error Mixes up two different kinds of things (e.g., a tool with a moral stance). "Neutrality, much like the cake, is a lie" — treats clinical technique of neutrality as moral indifference, which are separate concepts. Misused Statistics Uses true numbers to push a claim the numbers don't actually support. Cites low detransition rate (≈3 %) to argue exploratory screening is unnecessary; low base-rate doesn't prove screening can't prevent individual harm.
Where can I find a therapist who practices gender exploratory therapy?
Just Therapy
Just Therapy is born out of a desire to go back to what therapy should be – effective, ethical, and free from ideology. It is an association of therapists and counsellors aligned by common ethics and principles. Just Therapy recognises that much of the world of psychotherapy and counselling has been taken over by activists and ideologies, which risk harming, rather than supporting, the mental wellbeing of clients. Its members, who come from a wide range of disciplines and specialities, have signed a Code of Conduct.
Just Therapy Therapist Directory ->
Just Therapy Code Of Conduct ->
Therapy First
Therapy First unites mental-health professionals who believe gender-distressed clients deserve open-ended, evidence-based psychotherapy that explores unconscious and contextual factors before any irreversible medical steps; they reject both conversion practices and the 'affirm-only' model, uphold client autonomy, and view childhood/teen medical transition as experimental, while still supporting adults' right to bodily autonomy and continued therapeutic exploration.
Therapy First Therapist Directory ->
Beyond Trans
Stella O'Malley launched the Gender Dysphoria Support Network in March 2020 to give parents unbiased help with gender-distressed children; it quickly grew into a global community, spurring the 2021 creation of Genspect, an advocate for non-medicalised care. Recognising rising transition regret, the group started Beyond Trans in 2022, and in June 2025 merged it with GDSN to form one integrated, evidence-based support network for families, individuals and detransitioners.
Beyond Trans Therapist Directory ->
Beyond Trans Support Groups ->
The Detrans Foundation
The Detrans Foundation provides resources and support for detransitioners, including access to qualified therapists who understand detransition experiences. The following therapists are part of the Detrans foundation:
Dr. Kirsty Entwistle is a Clinical Psychologist who previously worked at the NHS gender identity development service for under 18s in Leeds. She is registered with the UK Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and offers online consultations by secure videocall.
Anastassis Spiliadis is a Systemic & Family Psychotherapist who worked for four years at the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock, where he led the Family Therapy & Consultation Service. He resigned from the Tavistock as he disagreed with the lack of a therapeutic model in understanding gender identity difficulties. He developed the Gender Exploratory Model and has extensive experience working with gender-questioning individuals and detransitioners.
Visit the Detrans Foundation website ->
Resources For Parents
If your child has recently come out as transgender, you may be feeling confused, worried, and unsure how to best support them while also protecting their long-term health and well-being.
Stephanie Winn's ROGD Repair Program
What is ROGD Repair?
ROGD Repair is:
- A program that helps parents of trans-identified youth communicate in ways that promote desistance, critical thinking, health, and relational harmony
- An interactive and ever-expanding toolkit of psychology concepts and communication skills honed through years as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist turned ROGD parent coach
- A self-paced online course containing over 100 lessons, each containing a video, essay, and reflection questions designed to help participants personalize the content to their unique family situations, as well as discussion forums
New ROGD Repair memberships now come with unlimited access to RepairBot, the first and only AI tool designed specifically to help non-affirming parents of gender-distressed youth. RepairBot is trained on the entire ROGD Repair curriculum and serves as an excellent sounding board, homework buddy, and communication tool helper!
Your kid says they're 'trans', but you just want them healthy and safe.
Your child's health and future are at stake, but your leverage and influence are limited. Perhaps they started black-market hormones behind your back, or storm out angrily when you 'misgender' them, or are away at an 'affirming' college. You need to communicate effectively in this tricky situation, before someone gets hurt. That's where ROGD Repair comes in.
ROGD Repair is a self-paced online course and community for parents that teaches the psychology concepts and communication tools you need in order to understand your child's mental state and how to reach them. Membership now includes RepairBot, your 24/7 AI assistant trained on the approach.
ROGD Repair and RepairBot were created by a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over a decade of experience working with trans-identified youth and their families, who now exclusively guides parents that know there must be a better path than 'affirmation.'
Use this coupon code to get 50% off your first month of ROGD Repair membership.