Transgender group seeks support

The first time Bree Sutherland talked to a therapist, it changed her life.

In 2008, Sutherland, a transgender woman, was living as a man and trying to ignore her feelings. "At the time, I knew I was a girl, I knew the way I felt, but I didn't want to accept it," she said. "I decided to go to a therapist to have her tell me I'm not trans." She made an appointment with a trans woman therapist in Missoula.

Sutherland walked out of that first session an hour an a half later with "a million pounds let off [her] chest."

Since then, she's become a trans activist and started sponsoring her own Missoula transgender support group, which is just part of the resource network for Montanans struggling with identity issues. "There's roughly 750 transgender individuals in the city, as of last year," said Sutherland. She estimates that about 150 trans individuals are on campus.

The University of Montana has its own transgender therapy group, which is seeking members this fall.

This fall marks the fourth semester the Department of Clinical Psychology has organized the group, said student clinician and co-facilitator Leslie Croot. Croot said the group, which is usually composed of four to eight members, is meant to be a safe, nurturing environment for trans students and community members. 

The group is just one part of the resource network for the trans community in Montana.

Sutherland said the therapy groups are different every year. "We get different individuals from all walks of life, all age groups from college age on," she said.

Sutherland began living as a woman in spring of 2009 and completed her physical transition last fall. "I don't think anyone is ever done transitioning," she said. "You're always learning about life and yourself. Which is true of people in general."

Jennifer Robohm is the director of the Clinical Psychology Center and oversees the therapy group. She said she's seen changes in the field since she began working in clinical psychology in 1992. "Part of the impetus for doing the group is growing demand for trangender-sensitive clinicians," she said. "A lot of clinicians don't receive training on LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] issues."

Croot, in the fourth year of her doctorate-level clinical psychology program, took an interest in gender issues after taking an LGBT seminar taught by Robohm. "I think what impacted me most is that we had a transgender individual come speak to our class," she said, "and hearing about the insensitivity of some of the providers in the community was surprising and a bit disheartening to me."

Sutherland said her experience as a trans person in Montana has been very positive. "Overall, the trans community is becoming more accepted," she said. "There are groups and people who refuse to understand. But overall, Montana's a pretty cool place."

This year Sutherland wrote a transgender resource guide, which can be found at montanatdor.org/resources.

More information about the Department of Clinical Psychology transgender therapy group can be found by calling (406) 243-2367.

katewhittle@umontana.edu