Jackson House's Approach to Gender-Affirming Care

In the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of people, especially young people, identifying as transgender or gender fluid. By one estimate, there’s been an increase of nearly double over the past ten years.

There’s also been a growing awareness of the struggles that people with non-conforming gender and sexual identities face. Aside from doing the work to affirm their own identities, such individuals face hardships that are much more extensive than other members of society. One CDC Report found that identity-questioning people are more than twice as likely to be bullied than heterosexual cisgender youth.

At Jackson House, we believe everyone has the right to live their most authentic life. From our centers in Southern California and Oregon, we provide residential mental health treatment services that can support your journey.

What Is Gender-Affirming Care? 

Gender-affirming care is designed to help support individuals undertaking the journey toward realizing their gender and sexual identities. It encompasses a variety of techniques and treatments, including physical medical interventions, medical affirmation, and mental health support.

Ultimately, gender-affirming care aims to allow you to feel comfortable and accepted in your identity, both by yourself and by broader society. Often, the physical elements of being transgender or nonbinary sit in the spotlight. However, the mental components also are of great importance. As more awareness is raised of the impact of gender identity on mental health, the risk of depression and anxiety that non-gender-conforming people face is of growing concern.

Gender-affirming care is not a new practice; however, it has only recently become widespread. The first clinics to offer such care opened more than 60 years ago, and over the years, practices, approaches, and techniques have been consistently improving.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of gender-affirming care for clients:

Improved Quality of Life

Gender-affirming care allows you to achieve good health and psychological well-being, improving the quality of your life. Feeling accepted and cared for drastically improves the overall well-being of anyone, but especially those who have struggled to find that support in other areas of their lives. 

Enhanced Happiness

Transgender and gender-fluid individuals are more likely to suffer from depression than other members of society. One report found that having access to gender-affirming care helped to minimize the risk of depression by up to four times.

Reduced Self-Harm

Transgender people are significantly more likely to be admitted to hospital for self-harm than other members of the public. By pursuing residential mental health treatment, you can receive the support you might need. 

Gender Affirming Care and Mental Health

There’s been a growing emphasis on the mental well-being of individuals across all demographics, but especially among the youth–specifically transgender youth. 

In one study from 2021, some 42% of young people said that they had persistent feelings of sadness. That figure had risen from 28%, already a staggeringly high percentage, back in 2011. Young people aged 10-24 also now account for 15% of suicides in the United States, a rise of more than 50% compared with just two decades ago.

While it’s important to note that mental health conditions can affect people of all backgrounds, it’s particularly prominent in the transgender and nonbinary communities. People who are questioning their gender identity face unique challenges and obstacles that can result in worsened mental well-being. 

For one thing, they’re more likely to be bullied or excluded in social, educational, and even home settings. One study shows that 35% of transgender teens report being bullied at school compared to 15% of cisgender males and 21% of cisgender females. While all that’s going on, they’re also wrestling with their identity and trying to figure out who they are.

The precise details of what causes worsened mental health varies from person to person, but the bottom line is this: 39% of transgender people live with severe psychological distress. To put that into context, less than 5% of the general population say the same thing. 

Our Mission

At Jackson House, we believe in helping everyone to reach their full potential. We don’t discriminate when deciding who should have access to our residential mental health treatment services. Everyone, regardless of gender or sexual identity, is welcome at our facilities.

We exist to help people who are struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. If you're undergoing gender-related mental health struggles, then don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of our team. We’re confident that our expert team of trained professionals has what it takes to help you feel better.

Our Staff

Not all care is created equal. In an age of more treatment options than ever, it’s easy to stumble upon treatment facilities that don’t offer the level of care and support required to help you overcome your difficulties and move forward with your life.

We don’t believe in short-term fixes. We believe in long-term solutions and deliver them thanks to our well-trained staff. We go above and beyond to ensure that we hire the right people for our positions and thoroughly train our new hires to ensure they can deliver the level of service that we’ve become known for. Ultimately, this allows us to provide the best treatment to our clients.

Our Practices

We provide a range of gender-affirming care practices to our clients, including:

Individual counseling

Our one-to-one counseling sessions are tailored to your needs, providing you with the care you need to heal.

Group therapies

We’re better together. Our group therapies provide patients with a sense of community and belonging and can build peer support that lasts a lifetime.

Gender-neutral spaces

At Jackson House, we strive to create an environment that is welcoming to all. Our facilities offer gender-neutral spaces that allow you to feel at home away from home. 

Residential Mental Health Treatment

We all need a little help and support from time to time, but some members of society are particularly at risk of experiencing severe mental health conditions. At Jackson House, we take a sophisticated, research-based approach to our treatment services so we can make a real difference in the lives of these individuals. 

If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health condition related to gender, then don’t contact Jackson House today. Our gender-affirming care is available in both Southern California and Oregon.