Psychology may be a science but psychotherapy is an art.
nancy mcwilliams
Meeting the needs of gender dysphoric youth is one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing the mental health field today. Therapy First envisions a world where this population has access to mental health care that meets the standard of care established by major mental health associations, whose guidelines support therapy first before medical intervention.
Therapy First’s programming focuses on training clinicians to meet the established standard of care and on supporting the delivery of developmentally appropriate, evidence-informed mental health care. By doing so, Therapy First helps ensure that the public has access to care that aligns with professional best practices and the developmental needs of youth.
Become A Member
Membership is open to licensed mental health professionals who align with Therapy First’s values. Members participate in a supportive community of professionals who collaborate to strengthen mental health care for youth experiencing gender dysphoria.
As a member, you’ll have access to peer supervision groups and clinical case conferences led by leaders in the field, discounted Therapy First webinars and trainings, and the opportunity to play an active role in advancing the mission of Therapy First.
Upcoming Webinar
Therapy First’s webinars provide knowledge on developmentally informed mental health care for youth experiencing gender dysphoria.
Stephen B. Levine MD
February 22 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST
This webinar will be a 90-minute lecture and discussion describing the poles of disagreement about how psychotherapy should be purposed, constructed, and conducted for gender distressed youth. The lecture will comprise approximately half of the session and will highlight the diversity of both psychotherapists and the young people they serve. It will review ongoing clinical questions regarding the development and etiologies of gender distress and present a psychodynamic organizing hypothesis intended to help clinicians, patients, parents, and researchers.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Analyze developmental psychosocial antecedents that may impact youth who begin identifying as transgender.
- Apply the understanding of this topic to understand the nature of psychodynamics in general.
- Describe general transient characteristics of adolescents and how they predispose them to a creative escape from the pain of their existence.
Presenter Bio
Dr. Levine is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is the solo author of five books, Sex Is Not Simple in 1989 (translated to German in 1992 and reissued in English in 1997 as Solving Common Sexual Problems); Sexual Life: A clinician’s guide in 1992; Sexuality in Midlife in 1998 and Demystifying Love: Plain talk for the mental health professional in 2006; Barriers to Loving: A clinician’s perspective in 2013; Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Sexual Problems: An Essential Guide for Mental Health Professionals in 2020. He is the Senior Editor of the first (2003), second (2010) and third (2016) editions of the Handbook of Clinical Sexuality for Mental Health Professionals. He has been teaching, providing clinical care, and writing since 1973 and has generated original research, invited papers, commentaries, chapters, and book reviews. He has served as a journal manuscript and book prospectus reviewer for many years. He was co-director of the Center for Marital and Sexual Health/ Levine, Risen & Associates, Inc. in Beachwood, Ohio from 1992-2017. He and two colleagues received a lifetime achievement Masters and Johnson’s Award from the Society for Sex Therapy and Research in March 2005. He was given his Department of Psychiatry’s Hall of Fame Award in 2021.
Therapy First webinars are open to the public. Parents, clinicians, teachers, and all those interested are welcome to attend. Psychologists and professional counselors are eligible to earn 1.5 CE credits for participating in the live webinar.
Find a Therapist
We help connect members of the public with therapists who align with the values of the organization.