Date of Conferral

5-6-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Mary Kate Reese

Abstract

Understanding mental health needs and increasing awareness of services is critical for the wellbeing of populations served in mental health treatment, including minority subpopulations such as transgender or gender nonconforming sex workers. Further exploration of this topic is needed and the lack of it is a critical gap in multicultural mental health service provision. The purpose of this heuristic study was to explore the meaning of cisgender mental health professionals’ experiences while working with transgender or gender nonconforming sex workers, identifying themes for potential education, training, and supervision topics to increase cultural competency when providing services to the population. Six cisgender mental health professionals completed semistructured interviews, which were transcribed and coded to identify themes. The themes identified in the analysis included counselor history, experiences with clients, counselor reactions, and growth experiences. Positive social change was addressed by promoting affirmative counseling that uses appropriate cultural competencies for a specific population within the community. Through increased multicultural awareness, cisgender mental health professionals working with transgender or gender nonconforming sex workers choosing to participate in the sex trade will experience support, preparedness, and increased education and training. Additionally, themes identified in this study promote appropriate tools and effective strategies for assisting the population of transgender and gender nonconforming sex workers in meeting their own goals for wellness without judgment from the mental health professional community.

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