In a couple of weeks, I will be speaking at Gathered and Grounded in Decatur, GA about being authentic in mind and body and we will follow the discussion with an LGBTQ affirming healing yoga class. I wanted to speak about being authentic when you are part of the LGBTQ community because being comfortable with your own body and own...[ read more ]
Earlier in August, I attended and spoke at The Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference. It was a great experience and my second time attending. One of the classes I took was about spirituality and gender identity. I’ve written about spirituality and gender identity before, but I thought that I would revisit it in this blog. Often, I have clients tell me...[ read more ]
Anxiety and worry can come anytime for some people. You could be finding your having a hard time getting to sleep at night because you can’t stop worrying, or you travel and find it hard to pack for a trip. When you have anxiety, your heart can beat faster and you can feel panicked. It can be harder to breathe....[ read more ]
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Gender Odyssey conference in Los Angeles. I also had the opportunity to speak and educate others at the conference about teaching clients to use positive self-affirmations and be kind to themselves through gender dysphoria. Advice for Transgender and Non-Binary Adolescents One of my favorite presentations was a youth panel where five...[ read more ]
Katie Leikam, LCSW is Growing! It’s been a momentous year and a half in solo practice here in Decatur, Ga and now in South Carolina as well. I have really appreciated getting to know all my clients and have had the opportunity to write many HRT and surgery letters for some great people. Now I- want to announce that I...[ read more ]
Sometimes I get emails from tweens and teenagers asking me how to come out to their families. Coming out as LGBTQ or transgender to your family can be scary, tough, relieving and sometimes feel overwhelming. There can be anxiety or fear that they won’t understand, will say mean things or that they won’t love you the same. But. It can...[ read more ]
How can talk therapy be useful to me? Talk therapy before, during and after your transition is important to still obtain. Having a therapist, you can reach out to for weekly or every other week sessions allows you to have growth and change and a safe space to talk about your feelings, anxieties, fears and complete joys during transition. I...[ read more ]
As a parent, I understand the levels of hesitation, fear and grief other parents might have when they find out their child is transgender. I have heard, that there is an initial period of shock and even the most supportive parent might be grieving the loss of their sex assigned at birth child. Parents may immediately jump to the level...[ read more ]
The topic of faith and acceptance from God is something I know many people in the transgender and LGBTQ community struggle with. I have struggled with my own journey of belief. If you were raised as a strict, or devout in yours or your parents’ beliefs, questions of love and acceptance may arise. You may be afraid of being unwanted...[ read more ]
What is Gender Dysphoria? It’s a mental health diagnosis that clinicians use when people are different from their assigned at birth gender. It’s also used to describe the feelings of dislike for their body related to gender some people have for themselves. Gender Dysphoria and the DSM V The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, is...[ read more ]
