S P R E A D I N G T H E G O S P E L O F F U N K
Healing Through Dialogue and Awareness
Living a healthy lifestyle and evolving into one's best funky self is a complex, confusing, and difficult process. As someone who lives with Complex PTSD, I understand the turmoil and chaos of existence as much as I appreciate the vitality of some of life's greatest grooves, despite how painful and frightening it can be to understand and process overwhelming problems. The funkier you are, the more challenging it is to integrate mind, body, and spirit into yourself and community with resiliency, peace, and harmony. Creating a continually evolving and open inner and outer dialogue and untangling awareness is integral to the healing process. Because of my experience, I have a unique perspective on mental health issues and create meaningful work and relationships to help individuals and the community develop self-awareness, practice life-improving strategies, and gain deeper, holistic insight into multifaceted and nuanced concerns, as I have practiced in my own life.
Gender Exploratory Help For Parents
Since 2019 I have written and spoken extensively about my experiences with gender dysphoria in teenage and young adulthood, transgender identity crisis, transition, and detransition related to complex trauma. After receiving countless messages and emails from concerned parents of gender-distressed, anxious, and depressed youth asking for my advice as someone who survived gender identity issues, I realized there is an enormous void of support for parents, and families struggling with gender related mental health concerns.
Like many who have overcome gender dysphoria and dealt with the trauma of social and medical gender transition regret, grief, and confusion, I believe that as in all matters of the human condition, gender issues require a holistic and exploratory approach beyond what the outdated and shallow "affirmation model" provides. From my consultations with parents from around the world, I have heard numerous cases of medical neglect and inadequate mental health treatment for young people, especially funky teenage girls like I was.
While there are variable reasons why gender identity disorders occur, many of the cases seen today share so many commonalities that I have developed an archetype for the type of young woman (or man) who might experience these issues. The Sensitive, Quirky, Artistic Weird Girl. Sound familiar? Another name for this personality could be Funk God...
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Although I am not a therapist or licensed clinician, I have comprehensive experience, knowledge, and understanding within the world of gender, and offer personal consultation and coaching with parents to discuss and explore their family situations, and provide additional support outside the context of the therapist or doctor's office. I work in a community of leading gender exploratory organizations, networks, and researchers, like Genspect.org, and detransition advocacy groups like detransvoices.org, where I designed the Detrans Awareness Day T-shirt campaign to raise funds for mental health resources for detransitioners, and have lectured in the world's largest (and longest) conference on detransition.
Along with consultation for parents, I also offer mentoring for adolescents, teens, and young adults who could use extra support and an older friend in their lives while going through the challenges of growing up. Having experienced all my mental health issues primarily in social isolation from family and peers, I know the crucial impact that positive role-modeling, encouraging intergenerational figures, likeminded friends, and having other funky people around to talk and share with, and learn from has in human development. I cannot cure your child's gender dysphoria, but I can provide them with peer-support, guidance, and advocate for them to develop their own authenticity and self-awareness, relating as a young adult who has survived severe mental, emotional, and social crisis.
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I offer "Big Sister" mentorship to youth who, like me, struggle with sensitivity and being different. Having made it through the journey of adolescence, high school, and college, into independent, healthy, adult life as an artist, I most want funky kids to understand their strengths and abilities, and realize that they are not alone, broken, hopeless, or helpless, as I long thought I was. I approach consultation and mentoring with non-judgement and anonymity, respecting the importance of privacy surrounding these sensitive topics.
*If you need professional mental health services, please contact a certified counselor or clinician.
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If you feel you need extra support understanding or approaching your child's gender issues and would like to talk, please email me or fill out the submission form below.
